Fixed
by Ayrn
Summary: Jayfeather has accepted that Briarlight can never be fixed - or has he? There's something within him, making him feel like nothing he's ever felt before. Follow him and Briarlight as they change the warrior code beyond all imagination, and fix each other in more ways than one.
1. Unknown Territory

**Chapter One**  
Briarlight crept up on a mouse, setting down her paws lightly and keeping her belly low to the ground. Slithering across the forest floor, she pounced, snapping the mouse's neck. With a muffled mew of pride, she raised her head proudly, the mouse dangling from her jaws. A breeze ruffled her fur, and sunlight glittered on her pelt.

"Wake _up!" _a voice hissed.

With a gasp of shock, Briarlight snapped her eyes open and raised her head. She found herself staring right into Jayfeather's blue eyes. Suddenly everything came rushing back to her - the falling tree, the pain in her legs … then no pain at all. It was all a dream. She couldn't hunt anymore. She couldn't even walk. Briarlight sighed loudly and heaved herself to her front paws. "Yes, Jayfeather?"

"Are you up for a long walk?" the silver tabby asked, drawing back a bit from Briarlight's face. He looked distinctly awkward, as if he wasn't sure what he was about to do.

_I can't walk, you stupid furball, _Briarlight thought inwardly. "I guess," she meowed aloud.

"Good. We're going to take a little journey." Jayfeather turned away and began gathering traveling herbs. "I don't want you collapsing in the middle." He leaned down and bit a dead leaf off a stalk, then began shuffling herbs around again.

Briarlight perked up. "A journey?" she asked. "Are we going to the Moonpool?"

Jayfeather fixed Briarlight with such a penetrating gaze that for a moment she couldn't even believe he was blind. "If I were going to the Moonpool," Jayfeather replied. "I wouldn't be making traveling herbs, nor would I be bringing you. Besides, it's not the half-moon." Before Briarlight could defend herself, he pushed a bundle of herbs toward her. "There. Eat."

With a roll of her eyes, Briarlight dragged herself forward and leaned down. As she chewed the herbs, she could hear Jayfeather eating his own traveling herbs. When they were done, Jayfeather swiped his tongue around his lips and glared down at the brown she-cat. "Come on," he meowed. "We haven't got all day. I want to at least get halfway there before sunset."

Briarlight opened her mouth to ask _Where are we going?_, but Jayfeather was already pushing aside the brambles and emerging into the clearing. Not wanting to be left behind, she rapidly dragged herself after him as he bounded across the clearing and slipped into the forest. The soft dirt and trailing ferns were like a cool drink of water to Briarlight - she hadn't been out in the forest for moons. "Wow!" she murmured, half to herself. "Everything's so beautiful."

Jayfeather twitched his tail impatiently but said nothing. _Even he understands the joy I feel, _Briarlight realized. _There's more to him than his grumpy exterior, isn't there? _Shocked by her own thoughts, the brown she-cat shook her head and pushed through the fronds after the ThunderClan medicine cat.

They were already deep into the unknown woods above the Clan's territory, and Briarlight glanced around uncertainly. If they were traveling to anywhere that was familiar to her, they would have changed their course a while ago. So wherever they were going, it was a surprise. Briarlight narrowed her eyes. _Jayfeather is up to something. Why won't he tell me where we're going?_

As the sun sank lower in the sky, Briarlight finally couldn't take it anymore. "Jayfeather!" she called. "Stop. I need to ask you a question."

Jayfeather turned, looking uncertain. He must have expected her question, but wasn't eager to reveal the answer. But Briarlight refused to move, shaking her head firmly when the silver tabby tried to continue without a word. Sighing, Jayfeather twitched his ear. "Fine," he meowed. "But don't blame me if anything happens."

Briarlight rolled her eyes. "Just tell me where we're going. It's not that hard, is it?"

With another sigh, Jayfeather looked to the sky. The first warriors of StarClan were appearing, and it appeared as if he were pleading to his ancestors for help. But before Briarlight could comment on this, Jayfeather looked down again and stared right into her eyes, his blind eyes burning into her glittering amber ones. "I'm taking you to get your legs fixed," he said, so quiet that Briarlight could barely hear him.

For a moment there was dead silence.

"You're taking me to _what?_" Briarlight squealed.

Jayfeather turned his head away to stare at a clump of daisies. "I know, I know. It seemed impossible, but I thought on it for a long while, and I decided that there was a way to fix your spine. But you're not going to like it," he warned.

Briarlight narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

Jayfeather tried to avoid her gaze. It was very unusual for him to be so awkward and embarrassed, and Briarlight wondered if there was something wrong with him. Before she could ponder this further, he opened his mouth and said something.. But he mumbled it so low that she couldn't hear it no matter how hard she strained.

"What was that?" she meowed.

Looking very frustrated, Jayfeather shouted, "I'm taking you to the Twolegs!" Then, thoroughly embarrassed, he turned his back to her and glared down at his paws.

Briarlight immediately felt two conflicting emotions - guilt for making Jayfeather feel so awkward, and astonishment at the fact that he was taking her to the Twolegs. "I … I thought-" Briarlight cut herself off with a shake of her head. As quietly as she could, she dragged herself over to Jayfeather and touched his shoulder lightly with her muzzle. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "Why are you taking me to the Twolegs?"

Jayfeather craned his head around to stare at her, and she instantly felt embarrassed that she acted so forward with her actions. _I've never done that before, _she realized, rubbing at her muzzle with a paw. Briarlight opened her mouth to say something, but Jayfeather cut her off.

"I know how frustrated you are with your broken spine. So I went up here," Jayfeather gestured with his tail at the woods around them. "And found a small Twolegplace about a day or two from the camp. One of the Twoleg nests was bigger than the others, and Twolegs took their injured or sick pets - like kittypets and dogs - into the nest. When they came back out, the pets were … they were healed. So I thought, maybe, there's a hope for your legs." He paused, and Briarlight racked her brain for something to say. But she saved from having to reply when Jayfeather swept on. "I know you must be angry at me, dragging you out here to meet some _Twolegs, _but I thought, well, if this is the only way, then we have to do it. And besides," he added, sounding more like his prickly self. "You can't stay in the medicine den forever. I might need room for sick or injured cats."

Briarlight struggled for something to say. This was the most Jayfeather had ever said to her at once, and he was acting very strange. She didn't know how to react. Especially because of what he just said - he wanted to take her to the Twolegs? She had always shied away from them, but her mother, Millie, used to tell her stories about them when she was a kit. _They look scary because they don't understand cats, _her mother had comforted her. _And us cats don't completely understand them either. But most Twolegs are actually nice, if you give them a chance. _She wondered if what her mother said was true. She had never experienced the destruction in the old forest, so the only interaction she had ever had with Twolegs was watching their water monsters on the lake. _They don't seem cruel, _she admitted to herself. _Just loud and strange, that's all. _And if they could fix her legs, who was she to argue? It was all she had ever longed for - to hunt, to run, to be useful again. The Twolegs could give her entire life back.

"All right," she meowed, touching Jayfeather's ear with her muzzle before she could think. "I'll do it."

Jayfeather looked surprised and relieved. "Good," he meowed brusquely, back to his old self now that all the messy stuff was out. "Now come on. I want to go a little farther before nightfall." Without another word, he rose and padded away. Briarlight, feeling a strange twinge in her chest - of joy or fear or curiosity, she didn't know - quickly got to her front paws and dragged herself after him.

They didn't go much farther before the sun completely set. Darkness engulfed the sky, and even the twinkling stars couldn't compensate for the weak, think moon. The foliage a fox-length in front of the pair were hidden by shadows. Jayfeather stopped and scented the air. "No foxes or badgers," he reported. "Let's stop for the night."

Briarlight spotted a clump of arching ferns. "Let's stay there," she suggested. "It looks like decent shelter." She dragged herself over to them and nosed the fronds to the side. A shallow hollow lay in shadows before her, just big enough for her and Jayfeather. "It looks safe," she commented.

Jayfeather stalked over to the ferns and stared down into the hollow. "Sure," he grunted, and slipped down into the shelter. Curling up, he closed his eyes and shifted to get comfortable. With a twitch of her whiskers, Briarlight settled down next to him.

The hollow was small, and her fur was pressed up against Jayfeather's side. The medicine cat opened one eye and stared at her, but didn't move away. Briarlight awkwardly tried to shift away from him, but when she did, half of her was out in the open. Sighing, she settled back into the hollow and let herself lean against Jayfeather. _And I have to admit it doesn't exactly feel _bad, she thought to herself. Her fur tingled where he touched her, and Briarlight fell asleep with the scent and pelt of Jayfeather all around her.


	2. Many Changes

**Warning: Lots of fluff ahead. This is chapter where Jayfeather and Briarlight confess their love. Thank you so much for the reviews, and please review again for this chapter! Now, on with the story.**

**Chapter Two**  
"You remember the plan?" Jayfeather hissed. The two of them were hiding in the bushes just outside the big Twoleg nest, but Briarlight couldn't get her mind off the night before. Jayfeather seemed nonchalant, as if nothing had happened, but the brown she-cat couldn't shake off the sensation she had felt. _Is this how Bumblestripe feels around Dovewing? _she thought.

"Briarlight! Concentrate!" Jayfeather scolded. He twisted his head to look back at her, his eyes like blue chips of flint. "We only have one chance to do this!"

"Sorry," Briarlight muttered. "Yes, I remember the plan." She narrowed her eyes and stared out at the big Twoleg nest. It was a bright white color, with a row of monsters sleeping in front of it. As she watched, a female Twoleg carried a kittypet with a bleeding paw into the nest. After a while, the Twoleg reappeared, and the kittypet had something white around his paw. Briarlight tilted her head. _Jayfeather was right. The Twolegs bring their pets here and they get healed!_

"All right," Jayfeather whispered. "Go."

Briarlight quickly slithered away, leaving a furrow of leaves in her wake. She navigated around the side of the Twoleg nest and rounded a corner to the back. Here, there was an expanse of the black stuff on Thunderpaths, and as she dragged herself across it toward the nest, she suppressed a hiss of disgust. How could Twolegs live with such a horrid stench? She did her best to ignore it and pulled herself to a halt just outside the back wall of the nest. Squared-off stones were stacked on top of each other - _stairs, _Briarlight recalled from her mother's stories - leading up to a platform that led to … what was it called? _A door, _she remembered Millie saying. _Leading up to a door. Those are stairs to a door._

She instinctively glanced back toward where Jayfeather crouched in the bushes. His blue eyes glinted at her, and he flicked his tail encouragingly. Taking a deep breath, Briarlight turned back to the nest. She tipped her head back, flattened her ears, and let out a distressed wail.

For a heartbeat, she thought nobody would come, and her heart started to pound. But then the door opened with a loud creak, and a female Twoleg stood staring down at her. Briarlight was so shocked by the warmth in the Twoleg's eyes that she stopped wailing and fell silent. The Twoleg said something in a low voice and leaned down, reaching out her paws toward Briarlight. Instinct told her to run away, but she remembered Jayfeather's words. Bracing herself, she allowed herself to be picked up by the Twoleg.

"Hssss!" Jayfeather darted out from the bushes and stood bristling in front of the Twoleg. He wound his tail around Briarlight's body and laid back his ears protectively. _Don't be too angry, _Briarlight thought. _Remember the plan!_

The Twoleg's eyes softened with understanding. She said something quietly, gently unwinding Jayfeather's tail from Briarlight's body. Then she gathered the brown she-cat up in her forelegs, and stepped back slowly. Jayfeather still bristled, but didn't advance any further. _Good, _Briarlight thought. _Everything's going according to plan._

As the Twoleg carried her inside the big nest, Jayfeather flew to the door and pressed his paws against it, staring after Briarlight. His blue eyes were wide with concern and love, and as she stared back at him, she realized that everything in his eyes was real - even the love. Briarlight felt a jolt of a strange emotion - happiness? Joy? Confusion? She kept her eyes on Jayfeather's until the Twoleg rounded a corner and she couldn't see him anymore.

_Is Jayfeather in love with me? _Briarlight wondered. Maybe that was why he had acted so strange, and maybe that was why he was willing to go to such extreme measures to get her legs fixed. She knew she wasn't imagining the affection in his eyes. _But he's a medicine cat! He's not allowed to have a mate! _Briarlight shut her eyes. _And why do I care? Do I love him too? _She had to admit that Jayfeather was always there for her whenever she needed help or somebody to talk to. And when she ranted to him, he sat there silent and unmoving, unlike Blossomfall or Bumblestripe or Millie, who changed the subject frequently. He _listened_ to her. He knew how it felt to _be _her. That was something no other tom in ThunderClan had - the understanding that Jayfeather had for her situation. And, well … _He's kind of handsome, _Briarlight admitted. His sleek silver tabby fur gleamed in the sunlight, and his eyes were so big and blue …

She didn't linger on Jayfeather, for the Twoleg had laid her down on something tall and made of wood. As Briarlight lay there, the female Twoleg bustled around the den, holding something in her paws. After a while, the Twoleg walked over to the brown she-cat and slid something in front of her. Briarlight stared at the strange-looking white pellets the Twoleg had handed her. _Does she want me to eat that? _she thought incredulously. But the Twoleg was watching her with an expectant look on her face, so Briarlight gave a sigh and lapped up a few of the pellets.

Immediately, she felt drowsy. As the den descended into darkness, she felt herself growing tired. Her eyelids lowered, and Briarlight let herself drift off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.

Bright white light shone into Briarlight's eyes. Grumbling, she blinked open her eyes and stretched in satisfaction. Curling her tail over her haunches, she flicked her ears and stood up, glancing around. She was in a Twoleg den! _What am I- _Then she remembered.

Jayfeather. The journey. The Twoleg nest. Her legs! Briarlight craned her neck and stared at her back half. _I'm … I'm standing! My legs - they're fixed! _They looked a bit strange, her joints a little more stiff than they should have been, but … she was fixed! Her heart soared, and she felt as if she were walking on stars. _I can walk! I can hunt! I'm a warrior again! _Barely able to control her emotions, she slithered down to the floor of the den and stretched her hind legs experimentally. They worked! The Twolegs really _had _fixed her up.

Briarlight bounded out of the den and down a long, rectangular tunnel. She could see a mound of silver fur just outside the door. Rising to her hind legs, she scrabbled at a shiny golden thing halfway up the door. There was a click, and then the door creaked slowly open. Briarlight wriggled through the gap and prodded Jayfeather gleefully.

"Go away," he grumbled. "I was having this really great dream and-" Jayfeather leapt to his paws, eyes wide. "Briarlight!" He leaned closer, sniffing at her legs. "Your … your spine is fixed."

"I know!" Briarlight agreed giddily. She turned and flexed her paws in glee. "I can't believe it! The Twolegs actually did it!" Suddenly feeling brave, she whirled around and nuzzled his shoulder affectionately. "Thank you for bringing me here. I owe this all to you."

Jayfeather stiffened at Briarlight's touch, and for a moment the she-cat thought she had offended him. _You mousebrain! _she scolded herself. _How did you ever trick yourself into thinking he loved you?_ She was just about to turn away when he relaxed, and nuzzled her back uncertainly. "I would do anything for you," he murmured, so low that Briarlight barely caught it.

"I-" she began.

"Briarlight-" Jayfeather said at the same time.

Awkwardly, Briarlight pulled back and cleared her throat. "You first."

Jayfeather sat down and stared at his paws. The rising sun set his fur aflame, making him look almost as if he were from StarClan. "Briarlight," he began again, shuffling his paws awkwardly. "I'm … I'm sure I'm the last tom you want to hear this from, but …" Jayfeather flattened his ears in embarrassment. "When I thought of this idea - the whole Twoleg fixing thing - I wasn't just thinking about clearing room in the medicine den."

Briarlight drew in a sharp breath. _Is he about to say what I think he is? _"And … and what were you thinking about, then?" she forced out.

"I was-" Jayfeather stopped and looked up at Briarlight. "I was thinking about, well, I was thinking about …" His ears literally turned red with mortification. "About how you would never be able to have kits with a broken spine," he blurted out. Like two nights before, he whirled around and looked away, shaking with embarrassment.

Briarlight was stunned. She was not expecting that.

Quietly, she stepped toward him and sat down next to him. Jayfeather didn't move when she laid her head on his shoulder. "_Your _kits?" she murmured into his fur.

Jayfeather slid out his claws and scraped the stone beneath his paws. "Well, I wasn't-" he began to protest, then cut himself off with a sigh. "Yes," he admitted. "Yes, I was thinking about … _my_ kits." He ducked his head and sheathed his claws.

"I don't know how to feel!" he shouted suddenly. "I have this … this _feeling _whenever I'm around you, and I'm just so confused! And I start acting really strange and I don't even know what I'm saying ... I'm supposed to be a medicine cat, but I can't … I can't deny that I-"Jayfeather broke off with a sputter. "That I love you," he whispered. "And that I brought you to the Twolegs because of that."

Briarlight blinked. "Jayfeather-"

"No," he sighed. "Please don't. I don't need my heart broken right now." He turned away. "Besides, I'm a medicine cat. We could never be together."

"Never?" Briarlight murmured. She shook her head and pressed closer to Jayfeather. "You don't understand. I'm not going to break your heart. I … I love you." She paused to let this sink in, but before Jayfeather could say anything, she continued. "And there's no reason why a male medicine cat shouldn't have a mate. After all, it's not like … it's not like _he's _going to have the kits. If the warrior code forbids this, then …" Briarlight's paws tingled. "Then maybe the warrior code should change."

Jayfeather was silent. A breeze ruffled their fur as the sun climbed into the sky. Greenleaf trees rustled in the wind, and a single green leaf spiraled down to land on Jayfeather's paw. He flipped it onto his claw and shredded it distractedly. With a short laugh, he turned to Briarlight and pressed his muzzle to hers. "I never thought I would have a mate," he confessed. "It's against the warrior code, and Hollyleaf - she convinced me that the code was all we had. But I could never regret this feeling." He twined his tail with Briarlight's. "This feeling that I have everything I've ever wanted in the world." Jayfeather sighed. "And you're right. If the medicine cat code forbids taking a mate, then it's time for that to change." He stood and shook leaves off his pelt.

Briarlight looked up at him, eyes wide with curiosity and surprise.

"Let's get back to camp," he said softly. "We need to talk to Bramblestar."


	3. In Camp

**Chapter Three**

"Jayfeather! Welcome back."

Even though she hadn't emerged from the bramble tunnel yet, Briarlight could hear Bramblestar's yowl of welcome. Jayfeather was ahead of her, pushing into the clearing. Briarlight ducked in after him and stood reveling in the light of sunhigh.

"And … Briarlight?" Bramblestar's voice was full of surprise. He bounded across the clearing, skidding to a halt when he saw her. His eyes were wide. "Your legs! They're fixed!"

Briarlight nodded. Not wanting to have to go into a huge, complicated explanation, she said simply, "Jayfeather brought me to some nice Twolegs. They're the ones who healed my spine and did this." She nodded at her legs.

"Twolegs?" Bramblestar asked incredulously. "But how … that's not …" He shook his head.

More cats were now emerging, drawn by Bramblestar's loud exclamations. Dustpelt and Cinderheart looked up from where they were sunning themselves on a flat rock. Lionblaze, Ivypool, and Thornclaw pushed their way from the warrior's den. Squirrelflight, who was expecting the Clan leader's kits, poked her head out of the nursery, but pulled back in shock. Dovewing's head replaced Squirrelflight's, eyes wide with astonishment. Her kits gave squeaks of alarm as they crowded around the nursery entrance. "Dovewing! Dovewing! I thought Briarlight couldn't walk!" exclaimed Featherkit.

"Sh!" Dovewing shushed her. "Be nice. Oh, here comes your father now!" She pushed Featherkit and her brother Leafkit into the clearing to meet Bumblestripe. Grateful for the gray queen's help, Briarlight gave her a tiny nod.

"Briarlight," Bramblestar meowed. "Would you mind coming up to the Highledge and telling the Clan about your … experience?'

_The Highledge! _Briarlight pricked her ears. "Sure," she meowed, and bounded up to the ledge in a few energetic leaps. She sat down and curled her tail over her paws. Bramblestar sat on one of the lower rocks and let out a summoning yowl.

The five cats already in the clearing padded closer to the ledge and sat down, looking up at Briarlight with undisguised surprise. Dovewing and Squirrelflight, followed by Brightheart and Sorreltail, emerged from the nursery and gathered around the ledge. Hazeltail. Poppyfrost, Molepaw, and Cherrypaw looked up from their fresh-kill and pricked their ears in anticipation. Rosepetal joined her apprentice, and Cloudtail bounded from the dirtplace. A hunting patrol of Graystripe, Sandstorm, Mousewhisker, Berrynose, and Toadstep hurried into camp and took their places around the Highledge.

Briarlight suddenly felt very nervous. But as she caught Jayfeather's eye, who was sitting at the bramble tunnel staring at her with warm blue eyes, he gave her a nod. _You can do this, _she told herself. _Bramblestar does this every day. _As soon as most of the Clan was gathered in the clearing, she flicked her tail and began to speak.

"A lot of you must be astonished at my legs. Actually, well, all of you probably are, except Jayfeather." A ripple of amusement passed through the Clan, and Briarlight felt encouraged. "But I have an explanation. Jayfeather took me to some Twolegs. These Twolegs were nice and gentle, and they didn't hurt me. In fact, the Twolegs were the ones who fixed my legs."

Dustpelt sprang to his paws, fur bristling. "Twolegs?" he spat. "That's not possible!"

Briarlight dipped her head. "Believe it or not, it's true." Her respect for the older warrior restrained her from arguing with him, but she felt like she needed to make it a point that the Twolegs were nice.

"I won't believe it," Dustpelt muttered, shaking his head. "This is impossible."

A few other cats looked like they agreed with Dustpelt. Thornclaw and Sorreltail looked distinctly incredulous, while Sandstorm was shaking her head slowly in disbelief. But many of the cats looked simply pleased, and Hazeltail even called out, "Good for the Twolegs!"

"There's another thing," Briarlight said.

Every cat immediately fell silent, swiveling their heads to look at Briarlight. Even Bramblestar looked surprised - none of them were expecting something else. She glanced at Jayfeather, and saw that he understood. _Go ahead, _he mouthed. Briarlight took a deep breath and continued.

"During the journey to the Twolegplace with Jayfeather … we … we fell in love," she meowed. "And we want to be mates. If the warrior code and the medicine cat code forbid this, then we feel that it needs to change. There's no reason for a male medicine cat to not be allowed to have a mate. So we've come to you asking if we could bring it up at the next Gathering and ask the other Clans if we can change the code accordingly." Before she even finished speaking, yowls of protest sprang up from the clearing.

"That's against the warrior code!" Toadstep called out.

"Which is why we want to change it," Briarlight replied calmly.

"Can you even do that?" Bramblestar looked thoughtful.

"I'm pretty sure the original leaders didn't come up with the warrior code overnight," Briarlight pointed out. "Also, didn't the warrior code change when Pinestar went to be a kittypet? That wasn't very long ago."

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. "I don't know …"

Not all the cats were hostile toward the medicine cat and his, well, _mate, _Briarlight admitted to herself. It was a new word for her to use, and a new word for her to be. _Mate mate mate, _she repeated. _I better get used to this._

Millie looked merely thoughtful, and both Blossomfall and Bumblestripe were gazing at her with a mix of pride and understanding. Graystripe was licking his paw nonchalantly, as if this were something he went through every day. Squirrelflight was speaking with Lionblaze, casting amused but warm glances up at Briarlight. _So not all of them disapprove, _Briarlight noted.

Bramblestar rose to his paws. "Briarlight," he meowed, silencing the Clan with his firm words. "Who am I to interfere in the way of true love? I have experienced a broken heart, and I do not want you to go through that as well." As he spoke, he stared at Squirrelflight. The hidden meaning under his words was obvious. The dark ginger she-cat's eyes glowed as Bramblestar continued. "So I have decided that we will bring this up at the next Gathering." Before any cat could protest, he kept talking. "Any cat who opposes this will answer to me. The meeting is over." With a final flick of his tail, he leapt off the rock. The Clan dispersed, murmuring among themselves.

Briarlight slithered down from the Highledge and bounded across the clearing to touch noses with Jayfeather. "You did well," the silver tabby medicine cat murmured. "At least half of the Clan approves of, um, our love." He obviously still felt awkward around her.

"But half of them don't," Briarlight sighed worriedly. "Toadstep and Dustpelt didn't look very pleased, and neither did Hazeltail." She shook her head. "I'm afraid I'm losing all of my friends because of … because of _us."_

Jayfeather looked uncomfortable. "Well, if your friends are more important to you than me," he said briskly. "I suppose I had set my hopes too high. You're breaking my heart after all." Turning, he headed back through the bramble tunnel, muttering, "I knew I should never have fallen in love! See, this is where it gets you."

"Wait, no, Jayfeather, you don't understand!" Briarlight called after him, racing after his receding figure. "I'm not saying that you're not important!"

Jayfeather whirled around, his fur bristling. "Then what are you saying?" he snapped.

Briarlight opened her mouth, but nothing came out. _What _am _I saying? _she wondered. After all, she _was _afraid that she was giving up too much for a forbidden love. She must have paused too long, because Jayfeather began speaking again.

Letting his fur lie flat, Jayfeather turned away from her. "Never mind," he spat. "I should have known." Shaking his head, Jayfeather slid out his claws and gripped the soil. "My own mother made the same mistake, and look what happened to her! She has nothing left but a broken heart. And I will _not _make the same mistake she did."

Despite her own words, Briarlight felt herself on the verge of tears. "So that's it?" she forced out. "I'm a _mistake? _Is that all I am to you?" Biting her lower lip to keep it from quivering, she whirled around and stormed into the ferns around the medicine den. _I need to sleep. Maybe then the answer to all of this will come._

As her eyes closed and the ferns dissolved into darkness, Briarlight found herself crying in her dream. She was sitting at the top of a low hill, shoulders hunched and sobbing quietly. _All I've ever wanted was to be a warrior, _she thought. _To have a mate and kits, maybe an apprentice. _She shook her head harshly. How could Jayfeather give her such hope, then rip it all away from her? Maybe it _was_ a mistake, but not for Jayfeather. For Briarlight, who was the blind one - not seeing who he really was before he hurt her beyond all understanding.

"Briarlight," a voice whispered.

Shocked into silence, Briarlight wiped her muzzle with her paw and looked up. A silver tabby she-cat was sitting across from her, watching her with calm blue eyes. Stars glittered in her fur. _Am I in StarClan? _she wondered, suddenly afraid.

"No, little one," the cat assured her. "It is not your time yet. But _I _am of StarClan."

Briarlight stared at the she-cat and racked her brain for silver tabbies she knew. There was Millie - but she was alive. There was Jayfeather - but she didn't want to go there. _Silverstream? _she guessed. She had heard of Silverstream - her father's first mate, who had died bearing Graystripe's kits. Narrowing her eyes, Briarlight crouched and backed away from her. "What do you want?"

Silverstream rose to her paws. "Do not fear, little one. I have not come to persecute you for being Millie's daughter."

_How did she know I thought that? _Briarlight stopped dead in surprise.

"I have come for a different reason. For a different silver tabby," Silverstream continued.

"If you mean Jayfeather, I'm done with him," Briarlight snapped before she could think. "I don't want anything to do with him, ever again."

Silverstream weaved around Briarlight, her star-dusted fur leaving sparkles of light on the brown she-cat's pelt. "Is that really true?" she murmured into Briarlight's ear. "Or is that just what you tell yourself to ease the pain?"

Briarlight sheathed her claws. "I-" She stopped. "Even if … even if-" She stopped again and ducked her head. "Jayfeather doesn't love me anymore," she whispered.

"StarClan sees all," Silverstream meowed. "Even into other cats. And just like I know that Graystripe loves Millie more than he ever loved me, I know that Jayfeather loves you with all his heart. And it physically hurt him to push you away."

"Hurt him-" Briarlight whirled around to face the silver tabby she-cat, but she was gone. All that was left was the glimmer of starlight on the breeze. "Jayfeather …" she murmured, mulling over what Silverstream had just said. Her heart ached. "Jayfeather!" She dashed off down the hill, yowling his name to the skies. "Jayfeather! Please! If you can hear me, I-"

"What, Briarlight?" A paw prodded her side.

With a gasp, Briarlight awoke, paws flailing. Jayfeather leapt back, looking startled. After a moment, he collected himself and brushed off his pelt. "You were yowling my name in your sleep," he informed her stiffly.

Briarlight abandoned all caution and dashed over to him, pressing her cheek against his. "I would never choose another cat over you," she promised truthfully. "I love you!"

Jayfeather's eyes were wide open with shock, and he stiffened. For a heartbeat, Briarlight thought he was still angry at her, and that he didn't love her after all. Dejectedly she turned away. "Never mind," she muttered, trying to hide her sadness. "I'll just leave now."

She let out a squeak of alarm when she felt Jayfeather's teeth in her tail. He pulled her back toward him, flipped her around and pinned her down into the dust. Eyes blazing with a blue fire, Jayfeather snarled, "Don't you _ever _leave me, Briarlight. Don't you ever dare."


	4. A Warrior

**Okay, more heartbreak in this chapter! Sorry.**

**I won't be updating tomorrow (July 4****th****) because of the holiday (where I live at least). **

**ALSO! Whoever gets the right answer to the following question can name Squirrelflight and Bramblestar's kits:**

**Where do I (Abellire) live? Yep, you have to guess.**

**Hint: It's a big city in the USA.**

**On with the story!**

**Chapter Four**

It was sunhigh, but clouds covered the sky and only a cold shaft of light lit the medicine clearing. Briarlight stretched and flexed her hind legs. "Time to go training," she muttered. It was a quarter moon after the journey to the Twolegs - tonight would be half moon. Briarlight had been training with Lionblaze and Ivypool, getting used to her legs again. Even though she could walk, and in her mind she knew how to fight, her legs weren't used to being used again and needed training to be able to function. Briarlight was just about to pad through the fern tunnel when Jayfeather's voice stopped her.

"Briarlight, can we talk for a second?"

_Those aren't good words,_ Briarlight thought. But she turned and nodded. "What is it?"

Jayfeather padded forward and touched noses with her. "Your legs are okay, so there's no reason for you to be living the medicine den anymore. I think you should move to the warriors' den now."

Briarlight tilted her head. It sounded reasonable, but there was an undercurrent of awkwardness in Jayfeather's tone. "Are you sure that's the only reason you want me to move?" she asked softly.

"I'm sure!" Jayfeather snapped. Then he calmed down and sighed. "All right, I'm sorry. The truth is, I would feel better if you … you know, if you weren't around me all the time. It makes it easier for me to … cope with these … um, feelings. I guess."

Briarlight narrowed her eyes. "So you want me to go away, because you don't like feeling that you're in love with me?"

Jayfeather hissed. "No! That's not what I mean!" Then he paused and admitted, "Okay, maybe it is … but not in that way! I do love you, but it's just … I don't know how to explain this …"

"Then you better start figuring out how to, then!" Briarlight retorted. "It seems perfectly clear to me. You're uncomfortable with the fact that you love me, so you want me to stay away from you so you don't have to be around me. I get it!" She flattened her ears. "Fine! I'll go to the warriors' den." Without letting Jayfeather protest, she whirled around and stormed into the clearing.

Lionblaze and Ivypool were waiting for her at the bramble tunnel. "Let's go," she muttered to them, and swept past them into the forest. Exchanging bewildered glances, they shrugged and followed behind her.

"Go to the mossy hollow," Lionblaze called to Briarlight.

"Whatever," she huffed, but she changed her course and headed towards the mossy hollow.

When they reached the hollow, Lionblaze and Ivypool finally caught up to Briarlight. "What's wrong?" Ivypool asked. Lionblaze just twitched his tail.

"Nothing," Briarlight spat. "Let's train." She leaped down into the mossy hollow.

Lionblaze shrugged and scrambled down after her, and Ivypool just rolled her eyes and bounded down into the hollow. "Let's start with the leap-and-hold," Lionblaze suggested. "You can try it on me."

Briarlight nodded. At least this would take her mind off of Jayfeather. Crouching, she gathered up all of her strength in her haunches, then launched herself up and over Lionblaze's head. Twisting in midair, she came down on his back, gripping his shoulders. "Watch out for the roll!" Ivypool called. Briarlight quickly leapt off of Lionblaze just as he began to roll over, and whirled around to face him.

"Good," Lionblaze praised her. "You could have been faster with your leaping off, but I think that's all right for now."

"Thanks," Briarlight panted.

"Why don't you and Ivypool spar for a little? I'll watch, and after you're finished I can tell you how you did," Lionblaze suggested.

"Fine with me," Ivypool meowed. Briarlight nodded.

Ivypool crouched and faced Briarlight. Copying her stance, the brown she-cat feinted to one side. But Ivypool was ready. She wove around the other side and knocked Briarlight off her paws. Scrambling to her feet, Briarlight counterattacked, gripping Ivypool's forepaw in her teeth and flipping her down into the ground. Then she leapt on top of Ivypool and pinned her down. "I win!" she yowled.

"Not quite!" Ivypool grumbled, heaving Briarlight off of her and rolling to her paws. Before the brown she-cat could move, Ivypool leapt on top of her and pinned her to the dust.

"Mouse dung!" Briarlight spat, wriggling about in vain.

"Ivypool wins," Lionblaze called. He nodded to Briarlight. "That was good, although you let yourself be distracted when you had her pinned down. And you could have been faster getting up after she pushed you off. But that's to be expected, seeing as you're not used to your legs yet." He flicked his tail. "I think that's enough for today. Let's get back to camp."

"Can we hunt on the way back?" Briarlight asked. She bounced on her paws, wanting to use her legs in any useful way now that she could walk again.

"All right," Lionblaze nodded. "Ivypool, do you want to hunt too?"

"Why not?" Ivypool twitched an ear. "I'll hunt."

Lionblaze leapt out of the hollow in one easy bound. "Come on, then!" he yowled over his shoulder. "Race you to the Ancient Oak! There's bound to be some prey there!" Then leaves came fluttering down into the hollow as he took off.

Ivypool scrambled after him. "Not fair!" she called, and raced after the golden tom.

Briarlight was the last to jump out of the hollow and pelt after them. "Both of you, not fair!" she shouted, but laughed at the same time. The wind plastered her whiskers against her muzzle and sent her tail fluttering backward in the air. _This is amazing,_ she thought. No Jayfeather, no broken spine, just her and her friends and the wind. Briarlight sighed in satisfaction.

The Ancient Oak loomed up in front of her. Putting on a burst of speed, she managed to overtake Ivypool and skid to a halt at the roots right after Lionblaze. "I'm second!" she panted as Ivypool caught up.

"Well, I won," Lionblaze boasted.

"And we just scared off all the prey," Ivypool grumbled. Then her ears perked up. "Wait," she whispered. "There's a mouse." Briarlight and Lionblaze watched as the silver-white she-cat crept up on a clump of ferns. Then she pounced, and raised her head with a mouse dangling from her jaws.

"Good catch," Briarlight purred.

"Thanks. You try," Ivypool suggested, nodding at a squirrel a few fox-lengths away. As the silver-white warrior watched, Briarlight turned and began stalking the squirrel.

_Get this right,_ she told herself. This squirrel was the first real prey she had hunted since her legs were fixed. Briarlight wanted to get that squirrel so badly that it hurt. Rocking her haunches from side to side, she sprang, and slammed her paws down on its spine. "Got it!" she squeaked.

"Well done." Lionblaze nodded at her. He had caught a blackbird of his own, and Ivypool had her mouse and a shrew. "Let's head back now." The sun was setting, sending orange streaks of light across the sky. Picking up their prey, they turned and headed back toward the stone hollow.

Briarlight pushed through the bramble tunnel first, and dropped her squirrel on the fresh-kill pile. Millie bounded up to her daughter, purring. "Your first catch!" she meowed, looking overwhelmingly proud.

"Well, I caught others as an apprentice before," Briarlight protested uncomfortably.

"Oh, you know what I mean," Millie chuckled. "Your first catch with your legs back!"

Briarlight shifted her weight from paw to paw. "I … I guess. I'm tired," she meowed. "I think I'm going to sleep now." Without waiting for an answer, she gave her mother a nod and bounded towards the warriors' den.

Rosepetal and Cinderheart were in the den already. "You can use Brightheart's nest," Rosepetal suggested when she noticed Briarlight. Cinderheart just yawned and snuggled deeper down into her own nest.

"Thanks," Briarlight murmured. She picked her way across the den and found a nest that smelled faintly of Brightheart. Yawning, she stretched, then circled down into the moss. With a sigh of satisfaction, she let her eyes drift closed.

But before her eyes completely closed, she spotted Jayfeather through the entrance of the den. He was padding across the clearing, heading toward the bramble tunnel. _Tonight is half-moon, _she remembered. Jayfeather would be going to the Moonpool.

_Jayfeather,_ she thought angrily. Briarlight didn't know whether or not she loved or hated him. At the moment, she was just hurt. _He loves me,_ she realized, _but he doesn't feel comfortable with the fact that he does. He doesn't want to love me, but he does. _Briarlight narrowed her eyes.

_And it's just so much easier for him not to have me around._ She hissed quietly and closed her eyes. She didn't care. Not anymore. Jayfeather could go eat himself for all she cared. If he didn't want to love her, he didn't have to. And Briarlight wasn't going to make him.


	5. Under a Full Moon

**So the answer to the question in the last chapter was:**

**CHICAGO! :D**

**Yeah. I live in Chicago.**

**The only one who got it right was Bookworm290!**

**Just give me six names and I will choose three out of the six to name Squirrelflight's kits (which means, NO, there are not SIX kits, there are THREE.)**

**Anyways.**

**Another question. Whoever gets the right answer to this gets to – well – it's a surprise. If I told you now, the story would be ruined. But anyway, here's the question:**

**What color hair does my best friend have? I know, I know, it's an awkward question. Just humor me. ;u;**

**This time, whoever gets the answer FIRST wins. Which means there can be only one winner (besides, the prize is only for one person anyway). So, guess away!**

**Now. On with the story …**

**Chapter Five**

The full moon silvered the lake and touched the Great Oak with starlight. Bramblestar, Blackstar, Mistystar, and Onestar sat on the branches, staring down at the Clans gathered below. Briarlight was excited; her first Gathering as a true warrior! Judging by the nonchalant glances the other Clans gave her, they had no idea that she even had a broken spine. _Good,_ she thought. It was better that way.

But Jayfeather was at the Gathering too. Briarlight hadn't spoken to the silver tabby medicine cat in a half moon. She swept her gaze over him coolly. His rejection still stung her like a bee whenever she thought about him, but she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of showing her hurt publicly. Then, to her astonishment, Jayfeather stood and padded over to her.

Briarlight stiffened. Was Jayfeather going to start an argument? Here, at a Gathering?

To her surprise, he looked calm and not angry at all. Letting herself relax, Briarlight sighed and meowed, "Yes, Jayfeather?"

The silver medicine cat sat down facing her. He looked completely sure of himself for once, and Briarlight felt a surge of optimism. "I want to talk," Jayfeather said quietly. "About … well, about everything, really."

Briarlight glanced around. Her Clanmates were off talking with the other Clans, so nobody would overhear them. "All right," she mewed softly. "Go ahead." _This should be interesting._

Jayfeather looked surprised that she was letting him talk. "Look, I'm sorry," he apologized. "I do love you and I'm not ashamed of it anymore. It's not too late to remind Bramblestar about the code-changing thing, so if you forgive me, I … I want you to still be my mate again." His eyes flashed in embarrassment, but his voice was strong and clear.

_Whoa, _Briarlight thought. _I did not expect that. _But even as she thought this, a swell of happiness filled her heart. "I forgive you," she blurted. "It was so hard being away from you and you can't even imagine-"

"Let the Gathering begin!" Blackstar yowled.

Briarlight gasped. "Jayfeather, you have to remind Bramblestar _now! _The Gathering has started!" The ThunderClan leader had probably forgotten about the request he had planned to bring up, and it wasn't like she and Jayfeather had been very close recently anyway to remind him. They had to make sure that he knew to request a change to the warrior code.

Jayfeather looked worried. "I know," he meowed hurriedly, and dashed through the Clan to reach the Great Oak. Bounding up to Bramblestar's branch in one leap, he leaned toward his leader and whispered something in his ear. The dark tabby leader looked surprised, but then nodded. With a sigh of relief, Briarlight realized that Bramblestar was going to announce the code-changing request after all. Jayfeather slithered down to the ground again, and slipped through the crowd to sit down at Briarlight's side. He rasped his tongue over her ear to reassure her.

Mistystar rose to her paws, glancing at the other leaders. They nodded at her to begin, and she turned back to face the Clans. "RiverClan is doing well," she meowed. "Greenleaf has given us plenty of prey. Although the Twolegs are being quite loud, we have had no serious trouble from them. In addition, we have two new apprentices - Petalpaw and Birdpaw."

"Petalpaw! Birdpaw!"

Briarlight raised her head and yowled the two names to the skies. The Clans were at peace now, and all four of them cheered for the new RiverClan apprentices. Petalpaw, a dusky gray she-cat, looked overwhelmed, while her littermate Birdpaw puffed out her raven-black chest in pride. _They're lucky, _Briarlight realized. Clans were more often at war than at peace, and to have all four Clans cheer for you was a rare treat.

"ShadowClan is doing well too," Blackstar rumbled after the yowls had died down. "We chased a fox out of our territory a quarter moon ago, but aside from that, ShadowClan has little to report."

Bramblestar stood next. _He's going to request a change to the warrior code, _Briarlight thought excitedly, her paws tingling. She glanced at Jayfeather, but his eyes were staring straight ahead at the Great Oak.

"Greenleaf has provided ThunderClan with full bellies," Bramblestar began. "We have had no trouble from Twolegs or foxes." He took a deep breath, about to continue, when Blackstar cut in.

"I heard that Squirrelflight is expecting your kits. Is that true?" the black-footed leader inquired.

Bramblestar twitched an ear. "Yes."

Blackstar looked away thoughtfully. "I thought you two weren't mates anymore."

"That is not ShadowClan's business," Bramblestar meowed stiffly.

Blackstar said nothing, only waved his tail for Bramblestar to go on.

The ThunderClan leader's pelt still bristled, but he turned back around to face the Clans and began to speak again. "In addition, ThunderClan requests a change to the warrior and medicine cat codes."

"What?" a black RiverClan cat yowled, leaping to his paws. "You can't do that!"

A few ShadowClan cats bristled and agreed with the RiverClan cat. All of ThunderClan looked calm, if not a bit embarrassed. But WindClan looked the angriest, standing up and ruffling out their fur. "The warrior code can't be changed!" Crowfeather spat.

Briarlight shifted her paws. _Maybe this was a mistake … _She glanced again at Jayfeather. He licked her ear comfortingly but said nothing.

Mistystar raised her tail for silence. After the yowls died down with a few discontented murmurings, she turned to Bramblestar with an inquiring gaze. "What change would you like to make, Bramblestar? And why?" she mewed calmly.

Before the ThunderClan leader could reply, Onestar stepped forward along his branch. "First, I want to know if this is allowed," he demanded. "The warrior code has been part of our daily lives for longer than any of us has lived. Is it right to change it now?"

Crowfeather lashed his tail in agreement. A couple of ShadowClan cats, including Dawnpelt, fluffed up their fur and yowled, "That's right!"

Bramblestar dipped his head to the WindClan leader. "I understand your concern," he meowed. "But I remember hearing that when Bluestar was young, her leader Pinestar went to be a kittypet. And that was when the fifteenth rule was added to the warrior code. If they changed the code then, we can change the code now."

Onestar opened his mouth to respond, but surprisingly, it was Blackstar who stepped forward to stop him. "I see Bramblestar's reasoning," the white tom decided. "I think we should let him tell us what he wants to change, and then we can vote on it."

Mistystar nodded. "I agree."

Onestar narrowed his eyes. For a moment it looked like he was going to argue, but then he hissed and sat down heavily. "Fine," he growled.

Bramblestar dipped his head. "Thank you," he murmured. Then he lifted his head and scanned the Clans below him with a careful gaze. They stared back at him with expressions ranging from thoughtful to furious. "I would like to request that medicine cats be allowed to have a mate, and if a she-cat wishes to have kits, she must have trained an apprentice fully before doing so to insure the Clan's safety."

Briarlight didn't even hear the protesting yowls that answered her leader. She was lost in her own thoughts. _I didn't exactly expect him to word it that way, _she admitted. _But it does sound fair the way Bramblestar said it. _Her heart soared. Maybe the Clans would accept the change, and she and Jayfeather could be together! She glanced at the silver medicine cat. His blind eyes were lit with hope, but he remained silent. Paws tingling, she turned back to the Great Oak in time to hear Onestar hiss, "It's because of your medicine cat, isn't it? Look how close he's sitting to that she-cat Briarlight!"

Immediately, all of the cats' heads turned to stare at her and Jayfeather. Whispers passed from Clanmate to Clanmate. Only ThunderClan looked unsurprised, but that wasn't exactly an advantage for Briarlight. Onestar looked furious, Blackstar had a sneer on his face, and Mistystar looked simply surprised. Bramblestar shifted awkwardly and twitched an ear.

Ears hot with embarrassment, Briarlight leaned away from Jayfeather. But he snaked out his tail and wrapped it around her haunches, pulling her back toward him. "Don't let them scare you," he murmured in her ear. Bolstered, she gave a sigh of relief and let her head rest on his shoulder.

Crowfeather paced forward, snarling. "You can't just change the code like that."

Onestar silenced his warrior with a glare. "The leaders will decide that," he snapped.

The black warrior hissed, his fur fluffed up, but he took a few steps backward and melted back among his own Clanmates.

"Bramblestar," Mistystar meowed. "Onestar, Blackstar. Why don't we have a discussion, and announce our choice afterward?"

Onestar narrowed his eyes. "I suppose that's the right thing to do," he grunted.

Blackstar flicked his tail. "That seems reasonable."

The ThunderClan leader gave a nod. "All right. Let's discuss."

All four leaders swarmed up the tree and disappeared among the leafy branches of the Great Oak. A few leaves rustled down into the clearing, but none of the cats could spot their leaders so high up. After a few moments, they turned to each other and began to talk quietly.

Briarlight's heart was pounding. _Nobody seems very enthusiastic about this. _She risked a peek over at the other medicine cats. Willowshine looked astonished, Mothwing was nonchalant, and both Kestrelflight and Littlecloud wore expressions of utter confusion. _At least they're not hostile about it, _she thought in relief. _We might have a chance. _

She forced herself to keep still as she waited for the leaders to finish talking. Jayfeather pressed his body against her, trying to calm her nerves, but Briarlight's pelt prickled with unease anyway. What if the Clans rejected their request? What would happen then? If their love was against the warrior and medicine cat codes, then she didn't know what she would do. Would she stay with Jayfeather anyway, or would she leave him in the stead of loyalty? _I don't want to have a forbidden love, _she confessed to herself. _I want our relationship to be allowed. I want to be able to be with Jayfeather out in public without breaking any rules._

Leafpool picked her way across the clearing and sat down next to Briarlight and Jayfeather. The silver medicine cat narrowed his eyes at his mother, but said nothing.

"Look," Leafpool began.

"I know what you're going to say," Jayfeather interrupted. "Please don't. We have enough trouble as it is."

Briarlight raised her tail. "Jayfeather, wait," she meowed. "Let her speak first. You don't know what she's going to say until she says it." _I want to see what Leafpool thinks. After all, she went through almost the same thing, didn't she?_

Jayfeather growled, but flicked his ear in consent.

Leafpool dipped her head gratefully to Briarlight. "I just wanted to say that I approve."

Briarlight was surprised. "But you made the same-"

"Mistake?" Leafpool finished. "No, it wasn't a mistake." She turned to look at Jayfeather, who was stiff with either surprise or anger. "If I could do my life over again, I wouldn't change anything. You, Hollyleaf, and Lionblaze were the best things that ever happened to me. I would never take that back." She touched Briarlight's ear with her nose. "And if you ever have kits with Jayfeather, then know that at least one cat will approve."

Briarlight flushed. "Well, we never thought that far-"

Leafpool cut her off with a chuckle. "Briarlight, believe me, nobody thinks that far." With that, she rose to her paws and padded away.

There was dead silence for a while.

Then Jayfeather leaned toward Briarlight and said quietly, "Well, you know … Leafpool's right. I, um … if the leaders accept the code-changing request … maybe, we could, um, think about-"

"Don't be so shy about it," Briarlight purred. "I know what you're going to say, and frankly I want kits too." She wriggled her haunches and strained upward to get a closer look at the Great Oak. "Are they finished talking yet?"

Jayfeather nudged Briarlight with his shoulder. "Come on, they only went up there a few minutes ago. They can't have finished so quickly."

Briarlight sighed. "It feels like moons! I want to know what they decide …" She fidgeted impatiently. "Why do leaders always take so long in deciding things? You'd think they'd be faster, since they're leaders …" She realized that she was rambling and quickly shut her mouth.

Saying nothing, Jayfeather only pulled her closer with his tail. Briarlight leaned against him with a sigh of satisfaction. "I really hope they accept the-"

"_You, of all cats!" _came a yowl from the Great Oak.

All of the cats in the clearing looked up at the branches. Onestar's tabby tail was visible, lashing furiously. _"Of course you would say that!"_

Murmurs rippled around the clearing. Briarlight pricked her ears.

"Is he talking to Mistystar?"

"Well, she is half-Clan …"

"What did she say?"

Briarlight shifted uncomfortably. "Jayfeather, I don't want to cause trouble between the Clans … maybe we should just-"

At that moment, Bramblestar appeared. He slithered down the trunk of the Great Oak and settled on a low branch. Onestar followed, looking slightly ruffled, and both Blackstar and Mistystar emerged at the same time. As soon as all of the leaders were sitting, Briarlight swept a worried gaze over their faces.

Bramblestar looked slightly embarrassed and disappointed, while Mistystar and Blackstar wore emotionless expressions. Onestar looked extremely smug. _That's not a good sign,_ Briarlight thought worriedly.

Onestar stood. "The request is rejected."

Briarlight froze. "No!" she gasped.

Jayfeather stiffened beside her but said nothing.

"I - I - I …" Briarlight stammered, lurching to her paws. Without a word, she whirled around and stumbled into the bushes around the clearing. As soon as a bramble bush hid her from the clearing, she collapsed to the ground and buried her muzzle in her paws. _This can't be happening, _she thought in despair. _I actually thought for a moment that Jayfeather and I could be together but - but …_

Then another voice came from the clearing. It was Mothwing.

"Onestar," the medicine cat meowed. "I object to your decision."

A ruffle of surprise passed through the gathered cats. Briarlight slowly raised her head. What was going on?

"Oh?" Onestar growled. "Why is that?"

Mothwing glanced at Willowshine, who was sitting calmly next to her.

Willowshine stood up next to her mentor. "I object as well, because sometimes even medicine cats fall in love. And it physically hurts to be forbidden from a relationship - you can't do that to us. And if your only worry is she-cats having kits, then Bramblestar's proposal sounds perfectly reasonable."

Mothwing raised her head. "I agree with my apprentice."

For a moment there was dead silence around the clearing.

Then Kestrelflight got to his paws. "I agree with Mothwing and Willowshine."

Briarlight dared to peek over the bramble bush, hope rushing through her paws. Would the Clan leaders listen to the medicine cats?

Littlecloud stood next. "I agree as well." Then he paused and glanced at Jayfeather. "And obviously he agrees too."

_The medicine cats are rebelling in the sake of our relationship, _Briarlight realized.

Onestar's face was the personification of fury. "How can my own medicine cat-" He sputtered to a halt. "Is this allowed?"

Mistystar twitched her whiskers. "These are our medicine cats, Onestar. They communicate with StarClan. Are you going to argue with them?" Her voice was cool and casual, although she looked very smug.

Blackstar twitched his tail. "Well, Mistystar is right. The medicine cats do communicate with StarClan. Maybe they had a sign?" He glanced down at Littlecloud.

The small medicine cat looked terrified for a moment, then pulled himself together. "No, I did not have a sign," he admitted. Then Littlecloud added, "But I don't need one. You can see with your own eyes that Jayfeather and … what's her name?"

"Briarlight," Bramblestar supplied.

Littlecloud cleared his throat. "That Jayfeather and Briarlight are very much in love."

Onestar's claws slid out and gripped the branch beneath him. "How-"

Bramblestar cut him off. "Onestar, the medicine cats have spoken. I agree with them, and I'm quite sure Mistystar and Blackstar do as well. Are you going to argue any further?" His voice held a challenge.

"I-"

"Onestar," Mistystar said briskly. "It's useful to know when you have been defeated."

Briarlight felt a twinge of satisfaction. Slowly, she began to creep back into the clearing. Jayfeather sensed her coming, and whipped out his tail to pull her next to him. With a squeak of surprise, she shuffled toward him and leaned against him again.

"Does WindClan have anything to report?" Blackstar asked smoothly.

Onestar raised his head. "Not anymore."

"Then the Gathering is over," Bramblestar meowed decisively. "May StarClan light our paths until we meet again at the next full moon." Before jumping down into the clearing, he added, "The request to change the warrior and medicine cat codes has been accepted. All medicine cats are allowed to have mates, providing that a she-cat has trained an apprentice before having kits."

Briarlight's heart soared. _They accepted it!_

"We did it," Jayfeather murmured. "Wedid it!" He stood and nodded at Mothwing and Willowshine. They met his gaze, and before turning away to join their own Clans, gave both Jayfeather and Briarlight a tiny nod.

"Let's get back to camp," Briarlight reminded him. "And I'm going to stay in the medicine den this time."


	6. The Codes

**The answer to the question in the last chapter is:**

**BLONDE!**

**I know three of you guessed it (maybe more), but Lalastar got it first! Sorry, everybody else. D: Anyway, the prize was to get to choose a WindClan cat that would show up later in the story as a sort-of "villain". Lalastar chose Nightcloud. In the chapter you're about to read, you'll see where she comes in.**

**(Oh, and if you were wondering … I know both Breezepelt and Nightcloud "run away" in TLH, but let's just say Crowfeather went after them and brought Nightcloud back. Breezepelt is … well, somewhere that I can't tell you, or else that would ruin the story …)**

**Anyway, another question! This time, you get to name Cherrypaw and Molepaw (as in warrior names) if you get it right. The **_**first two **_**people who get the answer right can name them. The question is:**

"**What is my (Abellire's) favorite Warriors character?"**

**HINT: She's in ThunderClan, and has green eyes, and she is a warrior.**

**On with the story!**

**Chapter Six**

Briarlight pushed through the thorn tunnel and emerged into the clearing. _What an interesting Gathering. _Her paws were tingling with excitement and happiness.

As she padded toward the medicine den, she noticed that Daisy and Millie were meowing anxiously to each other near the nursery. Brightheart and Sorreltail were outside in the clearing, herding their kits toward the elders' den. "We can come back later," they were meowing to their kits. "Squirrelflight needs some space right now."

Daisy looked up, noticing Bramblestar padding through the thorn tunnel, followed by Jayfeather. She bounded over to the ThunderClan leader. "Squirrelflight started kitting just a few minutes ago," she informed them urgently. "Jayfeather, you might want to go inside."

Jayfeather's ears pricked. "Let me go get my herbs." He dashed past Briarlight and disappeared into the medicine den. A few moments later he reappeared with herbs clamped in his jaws, and quickly swerved into the nursery. Bramblestar darted in after him, a ring of white around his eyes. He looked absolutely terrified.

Briarlight was at a loss for what to do. She knew basic herbs, so she could help Jayfeather, but she didn't want to crowd the nursery while Squirrelflight was kitting. She could go find honey or a stick for Squirrelflight to bite on, but she noticed Cherrypaw already heading into the nursery with a twig clamped between her jaws. So, with nothing useful to do, Briarlight simply paced outside the medicine den, waiting for either Squirrelflight to stop kitting or Jayfeather to come tell her to do something.

As the first lights of dawn peeked over the horizon, a tiny wail rose up from the nursery. A kit! Briarlight stopped pacing and edged slowly toward the nursery. Another squeal sounded from inside. Two kits - maybe more!

Jayfeather emerged from the den, shaking moss from his pelt. He looked exhausted. "Three kits," he reported. "A she-kit and two toms."

A collective sigh of relief passed through the clearing. "Can I go inside?" Briarlight asked. "To visit the kits, I mean."

Jayfeather paused, then nodded. "Don't bother the kits, though." He flicked his ear and headed toward the medicine den. Briarlight twitched her tail and bounded toward the nursery, slowing down when she reached the entrance and easing inside.

Squirrelflight lay near the roots of the bramble bush, surrounded by a soft nest of moss with her eyes half-closed. Bramblestar pressed against her side. Tucked in the curve of Squirrelflight's belly were three kits - one dark ginger, one patched dark tabby and white, and one dark tabby like its father. Briarlight bit back a squeal. They were so cute!

"Have you thought of any names?" Bramblestar murmured into Squirrelflight's ear.

The dark ginger queen glared at her mate. "They were only born a moment ago."

Bramblestar twitched his tail and said nothing, only leaned forward to lick Squirrelflight's head between her ears.

Deciding to leave the two of them alone, Briarlight dipped her head and backed out of the nursery. She wasn't even sure that they had noticed she was there. But a new idea was forming in her head, and her paws itched to run to the medicine den and blurt it out to Jayfeather. _Not yet, though, _she decided. _I'll wait for the right time …_

Forcing down her excitement, she glanced at the horizon. Dawn was breaking, and a few of the warriors that hadn't gone to the Gathering were stirring, getting ready for the dawn patrol. But Briarlight's paws felt heavy, and she was exhausted. Plodding to the medicine den, she pushed through the bramble tunnel and yawned. "Good night - I mean, morning," she murmured to Jayfeather, and settled down in her nest. With a sigh of satisfaction, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

She awoke on the same hillside as before, but this time she wasn't crying - Briarlight felt as light as air. Silverstream was there as well, her starlit eyes glimmering in the greenleaf sun of StarClan. "Welcome, little one," the silver queen meowed.

"Silverstream," Briarlight greeted her. "What are you doing here again? Jayfeather and I already made up. Twice."

"I know," Silverstream meowed. "That's not why I'm here."

Briarlight narrowed her eyes. "Then why are you here?"

"I have a message from StarClan for you," Silverstream explained.

"A message?" Briarlight gasped. _What could it possibly be about? Have I done something wrong? Are StarClan angry with me? _A new thought hit her. _What if they're angry that we changed the warrior code? _

"Do not fret," Silverstream soothed her. "We are not angry with you. StarClan only wants to pass along their good wishes. You were brave to want to change the warrior and medicine codes like you did, and we all want to see you and Jayfeather have a good future." She touched her nose to Briarlight's ear. "Good luck with your future kits."

"Future-" Briarlight broke off with a sputter. "Why does everybody think we're going to have kits together?" she asked incredulously.

Silverstream tilted her head. "Don't you plan to?"

Before Briarlight could answer, the hillside vanished in a flash of light. When her eyes adjusted, she was blinking awake in the medicine den. With a hiss of frustration, she shook moss from her pelt and stood up, stretching. When her legs started to tremble with the effort, she flicked her tail and bounded over to Jayfeather, who was mixing a pawful of sour-smelling herbs. "What are those for?" she mewed cheerfully.

"Hazeltail," Jayfeather grunted, but did not elaborate.

Briarlight shrugged it off and yawned, glancing up at the sky. It was sunhigh. "Well, I'm going to go see if I can join a patrol," she told him. Light on her paws, she turned and bounced out of the medicine clearing and into the camp. A hunting patrol of Sandstorm, Toadstep, Cinderheart, and Lionblaze was just leaving through the thorn tunnel.

"Can I join you?" Briarlight panted as she caught up to them.

"No," Toadstep snapped.

Sandstorm glared at the black-and-white warrior. "Toadstep."

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Of course you can join us," Sandstorm meowed to Briarlight. "We're heading along the WindClan border. Do you think you can keep up with us?"

Briarlight blinked. "Of course!"

"Good." Sandstorm turned and padded through the thorn tunnel. Toadstep, Cinderheart, and Lionblaze followed, with Briarlight bringing up the rear.

As they neared the WindClan border, Toadstep dropped back until he was walking beside Briarlight. "I'm surprised you're not staying in camp with Jayfeather," he snarled. "After all, that seems to be your only interest these days."

Briarlight forced herself to be calm, biting back a retort. _Don't let him offend you._

A few moments later a scent hit her nostrils. _Rabbit! _She raised her head. They were in the moors near the border now, and she could see the border stream bubbling a few fox-lengths away. Briarlight quickly dropped into a crouch and crept forward. The rabbit was scuffling among some heather, intent on its own prey. With a tremendous leap, Briarlight flew through the air and snapped the rabbit's neck. _Thank you, StarClan! _

"Good catch," Cinderheart meowed.

"Thanks," Briarlight purred, burying her prey. She scraped earth over her catch and rejoined the hunting patrol.

Sandstorm was talking. "We'll split up and go different directions along the stream. Cinderheart, Lionblaze, and Briarlight - you three go lakeward. Toadstep, you'll join me, and we'll go the other way." With a few nods, the hunting patrol split and headed off in separate directions.

Before the three of them went far, Cinderheart dashed away into the heather, and returned with a mouse. Lionblaze praised his mate as the gray she-cat buried it at the base of the slope, and then they moved on.

Lionblaze took the lead as they neared the lake, ears pricked for signs of prey. For a long while he simply padded forward, mouth slightly open. Then his eyes widened and he whirled around and hissed toward the stream. "WindClan!" he reported.

Briarlight and Cinderheart forgot about hunting, quickly drawing up beside Lionblaze and sliding out their claws. A clump of heather rustled wildly on the WindClan bank, then a cat emerged. She was a soft golden-brown color, with vibrant purple eyes. Lionblaze stiffened. "Heathertail? What are you doing here?"

Heathertail sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "Patrolling," she meowed simply.

"Alone?" Lionblaze growled, his eyes flashing suspiciously.

"Of course not," Heathertail sniffed. "Whitetail taught me better than that." As she finished speaking, a row of WindClan warriors emerged from behind her. Their eyes were narrowed angrily, the fur along their spines bristling as they paced forward toward the ThunderClan border. Onestar was at their head, with his deputy Ashfoot just beyond. _This is no patrol, _Briarlight realized with a flash of horror. _This is an attack!_

She sensed Sandstorm and Toadstep sliding up beside her as Onestar began to speak. "ThunderClan has meddled too much with Clan affairs," he snarled. "First you take in worthless kittypets. Then you change the warrior and medicine cat codes. I will not allow this." He raised his head and flicked his tail. "WindClan, attack!"

At his call, the warriors of WindClan surged over the river and swarmed onto the ThunderClan bank. Sandstorm managed to yelp, "Toadstep, run back for reinforcements!" before a gray tom leaped on her. Yowling, she rolled away into the heather in a tangle of claws and teeth.

Briarlight was slammed against the trunk of a lone tree by a weight crashing into her side. Hissing, she twisted around and raked her claws down her attacker's muzzle. The WindClan warrior yelped and leapt back, shaking his head angrily. Then he fluffed up his brown tabby fur and hissed. "You filthy traitor!" he spat. "You're the one who broke the codes!" With that, he leapt at Briarlight and pushed her down onto the ground. She spat at him, clawing frantically with her hind legs. As the WindClan tom hopped backward, Briarlight heard a yowl from above. _Bramblestar's come with reinforcements! _As more ThunderClan warriors poured down the slope, she felt a surge of confidence and lunged at her opponent, slicing with her claws. Yowling, the WindClan warrior reared and swept out his paws, catching Briarlight on the side of her head. With a hiss, she was thrown onto her side.

The WindClan warrior - who she now recognized as Leaftail - took the chance to spring onto Briarlight and pin her to the ground. With a paw on her throat and a paw on her chest, Leaftail had her virtually trapped. She writhed under his claws, scrabbling at him with her hind paws, but his grip was relentless. "Had enough, kittypet?" the tabby warrior taunted. "Are you going to go flee back to your precious medicine cat?"

_Kittypet? _Briarlight hissed. _Nobody calls me, my littermates, or my mother a kittypet! _Blinded with fury, she surged upward and flung Leaftail a few fox-lengths away. "Don't you dare call me a kittypet!" she screeched, bounding toward him and scoring both of her front claws down his side. Then she reared up on her hind legs, her paws stained with blood. "And don't you ever call my mother a worthless kittypet ever again!" With that, she slammed down on Leaftail with both paws and sent him squealing back toward the WindClan border, his tail between his legs.

With a red haze of anger still clouding her sight, Briarlight whirled around to leap back into the battle. A tortoiseshell she-cat and and a gray tom were both stalking toward Rosepetal, who was cornered against a huge rock in the hillside. Hissing, Briarlight launched herself down onto the gray tom and landed squarely on his shoulders.

The gray tom, Emberfoot, immediately reared back, trying to shake Briarlight off. But she dug her claws into his shoulders, ripping downward at his spine with her hind legs. Screeching in pain, Emberfoot dropped and rolled over. But Briarlight was ready. She hopped off of him and whirled around to face the gray warrior as he flipped to his paws. "You'll regret that," he spat.

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Briarlight retorted, baring blood-stained teeth.

Emberfoot narrowed his eyes and darted forward under Briarlight's belly. Pushing upward, he flung her a couple of tail-lengths backward, nipping her hind leg in the process. Scrabbling to her feet, Briarlight shook her leg and crouched, muscles rippling under her pelt. Then she rushed forward, claws outstretched.

With a grunt of effort, the gray warrior grasped her paw in his teeth and used Briarlight's own momentum to fling her past him and onto the bank. Gasping in shock, the brown she-cat struggled for a grip. But the muddy slope offered no pawholds, and she slipped backward into the stream.

Splashing in the shallows, Briarlight found her paws and lurched upward, shaking water from her pelt. As she blinked drops from her face, she found that Emberfoot had disappeared. But the red cloud of fury was gone from her mind, so she felt oddly at peace. Silently heaving herself up onto the bank, she shook herself vigorously. Drops of water flew from her fur and speckled the ground around her. Without a word or hiss or growl, she slipped back into the fight.

But just as she lifted her claws to scratch a tabby tom, Briarlight noticed a flash of silver fur at the edge of her vision. Whirling around, she realized that the flash of fur was Jayfeather! _What? _she thought, shocked. _But he's a medicine cat! He's not supposed to be fighting! _Then she remembered him telling her that the WindClan border was a good place to gather certain herbs. He must have been gathering some, when he was pulled into the fight! At the moment, he was pinned under a furious black she-cat. She was slicing relentlessly at his fur, her face twisted in hate. Untrained and blind, Jayfeather was no match for her quick, hard blows.

"You get away from my Jayfeather!" Briarlight yowled, launching herself across the clearing and raking her claws down the black she-cat's side.

The WindClan warrior spun to face her, letting Jayfeather lurch to his paws and limp rapidly away. Briarlight crouched down and snarled furiously at the black she-cat. "Don't you touch him," she growled. "Can't you see he's a medicine cat?"

Nightcloud, the enemy warrior, laughed harshly and flicked a paw carelessly. "Oh, I can see that," she meowed smoothly. "But I can also see that he is the embodiment of breaking the warrior and medicine cat codes. His birth broke the code, and his … his petty _love _broke the code. What better way to show disapproval for the new warrior code than to kill one of the cats that started the change?"

Briarlight widened her eyes in horror. "You wouldn't dare kill a cat!"

"Oh, no?" Nightcloud sniffed. "The warrior code is choked with false lies and memories now. Why should I follow it anymore?"

With a jolt of terror, Briarlight realized that this cat had strayed much too far from StarClan to be accepted as an honorable warrior now.

While she was distracted, Nightcloud lunged at her, claws slicing down at her shoulder. Yowling, Briarlight tripped backward, falling heavily onto her back. The black she-cat leapt onto her, pinning her down into the dust. "Give up now," she hissed, thrusting her muzzle in her face. She opened her mouth, showing sharp white teeth, and lowered it slowly to her throat.

_This crazy cat is going to kill me! _Briarlight realized. Horrified, she twisted under her grip, trying to keep her neck away from the other she-cat's jaws. But Nightcloud's claws just dug in deeper, holding her fast to the ground. _I can't die like this! _

Suddenly, Briarlight knew what to do. She didn't like doing it, but it was the only way to save her own life from being ripped away from her.

Briarlight used her last bit of energy to stab her head upward and sink her teeth into Nightcloud's throat. Blood sprayed into her mouth as the black she-cat gave a startled gasp. Her limbs jerked feebly as Briarlight clamped her mouth down even harder. Then, with a last, horrified breath, the WindClan warrior's body went limp in her jaws. Spitting blood from her mouth, she dropped her to the ground.

Her paws were heavy with terror and grief as she stumbled backward from the lifeless WindClan body. _I just killed a warrior, _she realized with a jolt. _I just broke the warrior code. _Briarlight lifted her head to Silverpelt. _StarClan forgive me. I had to do it to save my own life. I didn't want to kill him! _She just hoped that it was enough to convince her ancestors.

"Nightcloud!" Onestar yowled.

The WindClan leader raced past Briarlight and knelt beside his fallen Clanmate. For a moment he sat there, head bowed in grief. Then he jerked upward and turned to stare at the brown ThunderClan she-cat. "You killed her," Onestar spat. "You killed a warrior!"

"She was about to kill _me!" _Briarlight explained desperately.

Onestar shook his head and grasped Nightcloud's's scruff in his teeth. "WindClan, retreat!" he commanded, voice muffled by ginger fur. He rose to his paws and bounded away. With reluctant hisses and dirty looks, his warriors shook blood from their pelts and followed their leader.

Soon the hillside was quiet. WindClan was defeated, but the ThunderClan cats were too tired or wounded to cheer in victory. Briarlight hurried toward where Jayfeather had disappeared and nosed stalks of heather away to reveal a limp silver-furred body. Heart pounding, she darted forward and prodded his pelt with her nose. "Jayfeather?" she meowed worriedly.

Groaning, the medicine cat opened his eyes. "I'm okay," he rasped.

Briarlight glanced at his pelt. It was muddy and streaked with blood, and there was a nasty scratch on his shoulder. "You don't look okay," she muttered. "Let's get you to Jay-" She cut herself off, realizing that she was _talking _to the medicine cat.

But was he even a medicine cat anymore? He was too wounded to be able to treat any of his Clanmates. _Oh no, _Briarlight thought. _Our medicine cat is injured. Who's going to treat the wounded warriors? _

Without Jayfeather, there was nobody to help the rest of the Clan. And they would never get better. ThunderClan would be weakened.

Then, suddenly, like a flash of light, a new idea formed in Briarlight's head.

"Let's get you to Leafpool."


	7. Shifting Alliances

**The answer to the question in the last chapter is … wait for it … Hollyleaf!**

**However, only one of you guessed it (Bookworm290), so for the second winner I just chose the first person to guess Squirrelflight (my second favorite). Ironically, this person was Lalastar, so both of our past winners won again this time! Congratulations! (Although I do find the whole thing very coincidental.)**

**I have another question for you guys, but this will be the last question for at least a few chapters. The prize is a story or one-shot by me about a pairing of your choice (canon of course). And here's the question:**

**Who is my least favorite Warriors character?**

**HINT: He **_**used**_** to be in ThunderClan (now he's dead), he has gray fur, and he appears in Bluestar's Prophecy as a semi-major character. Guess away! :D**

**Now, on with the chapter! This one doesn't have much fluff in it, mostly action, but I promise the next chapter has at least a bit of romance. :3**

**Chapter Seven**  
Leafpool dropped a mouthful of herbs at Cinderheart's shoulder and began chewing them into a pulp. Her eyes were glittering with pleasure, and Briarlight realized that doing this - being a medicine cat - was all the tabby she-cat ever wanted to do with her life. But then she wasn't allowed to do it anymore, forced to be a warrior because she broke the medicine cat code. Now, she had the chance to use her skills again, and Briarlight could see she was overwhelmingly happy.

Briarlight already had cobwebs plastered across her pelt, so she crossed the camp to where Jayfeather was struggling to his paws near the wall of the stone hollow. Leafpool had seen to him first, so there were poultices spread across his fur and the blood was cleaned from his pelt. "You shouldn't move around too much," Briarlight reminded him. "You were wounded the most, since you couldn't fight back." She reached out a paw and gently prodded him back down to the ground.

Jayfeather bristled, offended at her mention of the fact that he couldn't fight back. But he sighed and flopped down onto his side again, pulling his paws beneath him and curling up tightly in a ball. "Fine," he grunted. "I'm going to sleep."

Briarlight watched him for a while, his back rising and falling with each breath. The sun was setting and she felt tired herself. So she yawned, and lay down next to Jayfeather, pressing her pelt against him for warmth - and maybe something else. He stiffened for a moment, then relaxed. As the sun slid down the horizon, Briarlight's gaze darkened and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

When she awoke, the sun was just rising above the treetops. Jayfeather had disappeared, leaving her alone at the bottom of the hollow. Yawning, Briarlight stretched and flicked her tail back and forth, then shook out her pelt and headed to the medicine den. She wanted to check on Jayfeather before leaving to do anything else.

But as she soon as she set paw inside the bramble tunnel, Jayfeather himself came barreling past her. Jumping back, Briarlight turned to watch him race across the clearing and launch himself up the rock slope toward Highledge, disappearing into Bramblestar's den. Blinking, Briarlight twisted her head to look back through the bramble tunnel. Leafpool padded out to meet her, looking tired.

"What was that all about?" Briarlight asked.

Leafpool shrugged. "He came into the medicine den at dawn, saying he felt fine, so he helped me treat some of the more wounded warriors. But he suddenly stopped in the middle of mixing some herbs, and ran off to talk to Bramblestar. I suppose he had a sign." She blinked and turned back into the medicine den. "I have to go finish making that poultice," she muttered under her breath, and bounded away.

Briarlight twitched an ear and padded to the bottom of the slope that led up to Highledge. She could hear quiet murmurs from above, but she couldn't make out any individual words. Frustrated, she quietly bounded onto a lower rock, then climbed a little further and pricked her ears. Now she could hear a few distinct words, but most of their conversation was hidden from her.

"... just know! You have to … by sunhigh!" Jayfeather's voice was desperate.

Bramblestar could be heard pacing back and forth. "But I don't … trouble … war …"

Jayfeather hissed loudly enough for Briarlight to hear. "You won't be causing … WindClan has … allies across …"

_Allies? _Briarlight was intrigued. _WindClan has allies now? Who? And what does this mean for ThunderClan?_

"Blackstar might have … but you know ShadowClan!" Jayfeather burst out.

_ShadowClan? WindClan has found allies in ShadowClan now? _Briarlight narrowed her eyes, thoughts turning in her head. _If WindClan has allied itself with ShadowClan, then they must be planning an attack … _Briarlight lashed her tail. _They just won't give up, will they?_

"Briarlight?"

Squeaking in shock and guilt, Briarlight jerked her head up. Bramblestar was standing over her, his head tilted in a question. "Were you listening to us?" he accused her, his tail-tip twitching back and forth. Jayfeather came up beside him.

"Uh … n-no, not really, I didn't hear-" Briarlight stopped and sighed. "Yes."

Jayfeather grunted and turned around, heading back into the leader's den. "Just tell her, Bramblestar," he meowed. "She's heard enough already."

"Fine," Bramblestar agreed, and beckoned with his tail. "Come on." He followed the medicine cat back into the den. Not wanting to be left behind, Briarlight quickly scrambled up the slope and bounded into the cave.

"So WindClan and ShadowClan are allies now?" Briarlight inquired instantly.

Bramblestar lashed his tail. "It seems so. Jayfeather says he had a sign that WindClan is still angry, so they have allied themselves with ShadowClan and are now planning an attack on ThunderClan." He sighed. "I don't know how we're going to fight two Clans at once. We're already weakened from the battle yesterday."

Briarlight stared at him. _I never thought I'd say this, but - Bramblestar really is stupid. _She shook her head. "Bramblestar, it's easy," she meowed.

Jayfeather's eyes glittered.

"If we can get RiverClan to-"

"You're absolutely right!" Bramblestar interrupted. "We must ask RiverClan for help." He turned to Briarlight. "All right, I want you to take a patrol around the lake and visit the RiverClan camp. I'm sure if we explain what we need, Mistystar will agree to help if we're attacked. Be back at sunset."

Briarlight dipped her head. "Yes, Bramblestar," she meowed, although inwardly she was a bit overwhelmed at her leader's reaction. "Shall I go now?"

"That would be best."

"All right." Briarlight stood and backed out of the den. As soon as she was in the light again, she whirled around and leapt off Highledge in a single bound. Paws tingling, she looked around for warriors to take on the patrol. Lionblaze was sharing tongues with Cinderheart, and Poppyfrost was teaching Icecloud a tricky battle move.

"Lionblaze, Cinderheart, Poppyfrost, Icecloud!" Briarlight called. The four cats looked up, startled, but then padded over to her, looking curious. "Bramblestar wants us to go around the lake to speak to Mistystar."

Poppyfrost blinked. "Why?"

"WindClan has allied themselves with ShadowClan, and they are planning an attack on ThunderClan," Briarlight replied. "If we are to have a chance of beating them off, we need RiverClan to be _our _allies."

Lionblaze bristled. "I'll rip the fur off any WindClan or ShadowClan cat that sets paw on ThunderClan territory."

"We know that," Cinderheart mewed quietly. "But the most important thing at the moment is getting RiverClan to help us." She turned to Briarlight. "I'll come."

"Me too," Lionblaze growled. "I don't see why WindClan has to be so worked up about medicine cats having mates. Crowfeather himself-"

Icecloud cleared her throat loudly. "I'll come too. Poppyfrost?"

The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded. "Of course."

"Then let's go," Briarlight meowed grimly, and raced out of the camp. The other four warriors pelted after her.

It was just past sunhigh by the time they reached the RiverClan border. Briarlight raised her tail to stop her patrol, then scented the air. She could smell WindClan - they had taken a risk going around the moorland side of the lake - and RiverClan, but nothing fresh. Then she heard the reeds rustle a few tail-lengths away, and a patrol appeared with Reedwhisker at the head.

"Hello, Briarlight," he meowed smoothly, nodding to the other cats in the patrol. "What are you doing on RiverClan territory?"

"Well technically we're not on your-" Icecloud began, then cut herself off when Lionblaze glared at her.

"We need to talk to Mistystar," Briarlight meowed, taking no notice of Icecloud and Lionblaze.

Reedwhisker narrowed his eyes. "You have an entire patrol of warriors with you. This might be an attack." He turned to a small tabby-and-white she-cat. "Splashpaw, go check for hidden enemy patrols."

The apprentice looked terrified - _this must be her first time out of camp, _Briarlight realized. Then Splashpaw shook her head to clear it. "Yes, Reedwhisker," she meowed, and dashed off into the reeds.

"I assure you this is not an attack," Briarlight sighed. "I'm sorry if you feel intimidated by the amount of warriors I have brought with me, but as you can see, we are injured and therefore do not pose much of a threat."

Reedwhisker twitched his tail, looking suspicious. Then he opened his mouth and yowled, "Splashpaw, come back! We'll take you to Mistystar," he added to Briarlight.

"Thank you." The brown she-cat dipped her head, and followed the RiverClan deputy as he turned and led the cats toward the center of RiverClan territory. Icecloud drew up beside her, looking embarrassed.

"Sorry about what I-"

Briarlight cut her off with a _mrrow _of laughter. "It's fine."

Icecloud opened her mouth to reply, but just then Reedwhisker stopped and called back, "You'll have to cross a stream here to get to the camp. Just do what I do and you won't drown." Without waiting for an answer, he leaped into the water and paddled swiftly across. Pulling himself up on the other side, he turned and yowled back. "Come on, we don't have all day!" The rest of the RiverClan cats swam across to join their deputy, and the ThunderClan patrol was left stranded on the other bank.

"Okay, we can do this," Briarlight murmured, lowering one paw into the river. With a squeak she pulled back. _I can't … it's so much water! _She gritted her teeth and slowly edged forward into the shallows. She could hear Lionblaze following her, and the other three ThunderClan cats advancing a bit more slowly.

"Oh, this is ridiculous," a brown tabby RiverClan she-cat spat, and launched herself back into the water. She swiftly swam toward Briarlight, and grabbed her scruff in her teeth. Then the RiverClan cat began dragging her across the river.

Spitting in indignation, Briarlight lurched away from the she-cat and flailed toward the opposite bank on her own. Eventually she was able to make an undignified landing on the shore, and pulled herself to her feet. Looking around, Briarlight saw her four Clanmates doing the same. "Okay, we're across," she grunted, shaking out her fur. "Where's the camp?"

Reedwhisker twitched his whiskers and parted a bush. "Right there." Between the branches, Briarlight could see leafy dens and cats sunning themselves out in the clearing. A few RiverClan cats were at the opposite side of the camp, fishing in the river.

Briarlight padded forward. "Thank you," she sniffed, trying to salvage some of her dignity. "And where's Mistystar?"

Reedwhisker hurried ahead of her and nodded a bramble bush across the clearing. "There. She's eating, I think. I'll escort you there. Splashpaw, Rushtail - you two attend to your other duties." The brown she-cat and the apprentice nodded and sped off.

The ThunderClan cats followed Reedwhisker to the bramble bush, where the RiverClan deputy flicked his tail to stop them. "Wait out here," he meowed, and disappeared into the bush.

As they waited, Lionblaze let out a squeak. Briarlight turned to see a white kit digging his claws into the golden warrior's tail. "Stop that!" Lionblaze protested, reaching around to grasp the kit's scruff.

The white kit leapt backward before the ThunderClan tom could touch him. "Sorry!" he meowed, not sounding sorry at all. "My name is Icekit, and that's my mother." He pointed his tail at Duskfur, who was eating a fish by a clump of flowers. "Who are you?"

Lionblaze tilted his head. "I'm a ThunderClan warrior. Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

Icekit blinked back. "Shouldn't you be across the lake?"

Before Lionblaze could answer, Reedwhisker reappeared. "All right. Mistystar will speak with you. But only one of you." He glanced at Briarlight. "Well, go inside."

Briarlight pricked her ears. "Me?"

Reedwhisker rolled his eyes. "Well, you're the patrol leader, so I'd assume you'd be the one to talk with Mistystar."

"Okay," Briarlight meowed uncertainly, and ducked into the bramble bush. Mistystar sat near the back of the den, but when the brown she-cat entered, she rose to her paws and padded forward.

"Hello," she greeted her. "Reedwhisker says you wish to speak with me?" Her voice was careful and guarded, but not unfriendly.

"Yes," Briarlight replied. She explained the attack at the border, Jayfeather's sign, and the mad dash around the lake to reach the RiverClan camp. "If you don't help us, WindClan and ShadowClan will wipe ThunderClan out. Mistystar, we need your warriors, or we'll be hopelessly outnumbered in the coming battle."

Mistystar was quiet for a moment. "Do you know exactly when they will attack?"

"No," Briarlight admitted. "I don't think they'll attack in the next moon, though - they were injured in the fight as well, so they'll need time to recover. But I expect they'll be back before leaf-fall. They and ShadowClan."

Sighing, Mistystar sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "I cannot leave your Clan to fight alone," she murmured. "It would be an incredibly unfair battle, and I, myself, support the change in the code." She nodded and looked up at Briarlight. "RiverClan will be your allies in the coming battle. If you need help, just send a warrior to our camp."

Relieved, Briarlight waved her tail. "Thank you, Mistystar!" she mewed. "ThunderClan is grateful for your help."

Mistystar inclined her head. "You are welcome. However, you should be heading back to your own Clan now. It is getting late." She stood and continued, "Rushtail and Minnowtail will escort you back to the border. May StarClan light your path."

"Yours as well," Briarlight responded, turning to head out of the bramble bush. She pushed through the entrance and stood blinking in the setting sun. Poppyfrost hurried up to her.

"What did she say?" the tortoiseshell she-cat asked.

"RiverClan are our allies now," Briarlight assured her. She flexed her claws. _Let WindClan try and attack us now._

Poppyfrost looked relieved. "Thank StarClan."

Before Briarlight could agree, Rushtail and Minnowtail bounded up to the ThunderClan patrol. "Mistystar wants us to escort you to the border," Rushtail explained to the cats. "Come on. We have to hurry if you want to get back to your territory by sunset."

"Thank you," Briarlight meowed.

Minnowtail turned and bounded out of the camp. Rushtail followed, and the ThunderClan patrol streamed after them. As they recrossed the river and headed through the marsh, Briarlight stifled a hiss of disgust. _What cat would want to live in a wet place like this? _She shuddered. _It's unnatural._

They reached the WindClan border as the sun sank just below the treetops. ShadowClan's pines looked like a dark ridge against a brilliant pink sky, and the moors were glimmering with half-light. Briarlight sighed. _Everything's so beautiful. Why do the Clans have to be at war just because of a simple addition to the code?_

"We'll leave you here," Minnowtail yawned. "May StarClan light your paths."

Without waiting for an answer, she and Rushtail spun and raced back toward the RiverClan camp. Briarlight and the rest of the ThunderClan patrol waved their tails in farewell and began the trek back to ThunderClan's camp.

They were halfway to the ThunderClan border when a yowl came from moors. Briarlight jerked her head up. A WindClan patrol stood bristling at the top of a slope. "ThunderClan!" one of the cats screeched, and, as one, the entire patrol launched themselves down the hill toward the ThunderClan cats.

"We can't fight them! Not now!" Cinderheart hissed. "Run!"

Lionblaze looked like he was going to argue, but then he launched himself forward and pelted toward the ThunderClan border. Briarlight charged after him, and the other three cats followed. _This is cowardly! _Briarlight hissed inwardly. _But we can't risk fighting now … it just doesn't seem right!_

She could hear the WindClan patrol behind them, their pawsteps loud and insistent. Ahead, she could see the gleam of water. They were close to the border stream! Briarlight put on a burst of speed and the stream loomed into view.

"Across! Hurry!" Lionblaze yowled, and launched himself over the water. Briarlight leapt after him, followed by Cinderheart. Icecloud glanced back at the WindClan warriors and hurled herself over the sunset-stained stream. Poppyfrost came last, her eyes blazing with anger and indignation. The WindClan patrol skidded to a halt, looking frustrated.

"You may have gotten away this time," one of them snarled. "But WindClan will have vengeance!" With that, the patrol spun and raced away.

_For what? _Briarlight thought angrily, her sides heaving. _ThunderClan hasn't hurt WindClan is any way! The battle was all their fault, so they should blame themselves. How can they want vengeance for something that never happened?_

"Are you okay, Briarlight?" Icecloud meowed quietly.

"Just … winded," the brown she-cat panted. "I'll be okay." Drawing in a heaving breath, she stumbled around and headed toward camp. Even though she felt unusually tired for a dash across the moors, she was still brimming with excitement. Mistystar had agreed to help ThunderClan if they were attacked. The patrol had accomplished their goal, and there would be good news to bring back to Bramblestar when they reached camp. Briarlight flexed her claws. _Let WindClan come, _she thought grimly. _We'll be ready._


	8. Better Safe Than Sorry

**My least favorite Warriors character is Goosefeather.**

**Ironically, Bookworm290 guessed him first. Which means she has won three times so far. What is this strange sorcery? **

**Anyway, Bookworm290, your prize is a story (up to five chapters) or one-shot about a pairing or character of your choice. PM me with your choices. :3**

**I have decided to put a poll rather than a question in this chapter. There's no prize for it – you're just helping me decide something. Which chapter should Briarlight give birth to her kits? (Yes, I plan on her having kits.)**

**Choice 1: Chapter 18**

**Choice 2: Chapter 21**

**Choice 3: Chapter 24**

**I do have reasons for choosing those particular numbers.**

**Now for the chapter! This one has just a hint of fluff. I promise, though, chapter nine has a TON of fluffiness. So just sit tight and wait. :D**

**(Oh, and also – since Lalastar has not replied to my message about naming Molepaw, I have decided to go ahead and choose his warrior name myself.)**

**Chapter Eight**  
Briarlight paced back and forth in front of the medicine den, ears pricked and tail lashing. Her pelt was prickling with unease and her eyes darted around the clearing warily. A twig snapped above the hollow. Briarlight jerked her head up. A few moments later Cherrypaw and Molepaw padded in through the thorn tunnel. _Just the apprentices,_ she thought. _We're safe._

"Um … Briarlight?"

Briarlight jumped and whirled around to face the voice, heart pounding. It was Dovewing, looking slightly concerned. "Are you all right?" she asked. "You've been very jumpy for the past half moon …" The gray queen trailed off.

"WindClan could attack any moment! We have to be alert!" Briarlight fretted.

Dovewing gave Briarlight a look. "Didn't you say yourself that you thought WindClan wouldn't attack for at least a moon? It's only been a half moon. You don't have to worry."

The brown she-cat shook her head. "But I-"

Cutting Briarlight off, Dovewing laid her tail over her shoulders. "Listen. Calm down. WindClan will not attack for at least another half moon. I advise you either go eat some fresh-kill or join Cinderheart on her patrol." She nodded at the gray warrior just heading out of camp.

"I think I'll eat some fresh-kill," Briarlight grunted, shaking Dovewing's tail off and crossing the clearing. She picked out a fat mouse and brought it over to halfrock, where Berrynose and Poppyfrost were eating. "Hi," she meowed, dropping her mouse.

Poppyfrost looked up. "Hi, Briarlight. Finished guard duty?" she teased.

Briarlight chose not to answer, flopping down to the ground and taking a bite from her mouse. It was just before sunhigh, and most cats were out training or hunting or patrolling. She, Berrynose, and Poppyfrost were the only warriors left in camp, besides Bramblestar. Jayfeather was taking some kind of herbs to Purdy. Briarlight grew worried. _What if WindClan attacks the camp now, when we're so vulnerable?_

"You have that look again," Berrynose informed her.

"What look?" Briarlight quickly resumed eating her mouse.

"The look that says you're imaging WindClan warriors above the hollow, about to attack and rip apart the three of us before heading for the queens and stealing their kits."

Poppyfrost whacked her mate with her tail. "Berrynose!"

The cream-furred tom grunted. "What? It's true."

Briarlight pushed away her mouse, no longer hungry. "It _is_ true."

Poppyfrost slowly turned to stare at Briarlight.

"Well, not the kit-stealing part," Briarlight added quickly.

Before Berrynose or Poppyfrost could reply, Cherrypaw and Molepaw came flying over to their parents. "Guess what, guess what?" they squealed.

Poppyfrost purred. "What?"

"We're going to become warriors today!" Molepaw announced, shoving in front of his sister.

Cherrypaw pushed him out of the way. "Yeah, Bramblestar said it's a little bit early but with the threat of WindClan, he'd rather have more warriors than wait for us to finish our training!"

Molepaw jumped forward. "And Lilykit and Seedkit are going to become apprentices too!"

Cherrypaw shoved Molepaw away. "And-"

Poppyfrost cut her daughter off with a _mrrow_ of laughter. "All right, we get it." Then she stiffened. "Become warriors?" she repeated. "Oh, then I have to make sure you look perfect!" She leaped off the halfrock and began frantically grooming her kits. Berrynose slid down and helped his mate hold a struggling Molepaw down.

Feeling like she was intruding, Briarlight backed away and immediately bumped into somebody. "Sorry!" she apologized quickly, turning to face the cat. To her surprise, it was Jayfeather, who was watching Cherrypaw and Molepaw with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Jayfeather?" She waved her tail in his face.

Jumping slightly, Jayfeather turned to look at Briarlight. "Oh. Hi. So … they're becoming warriors today?" He waved his tail in the direction of the two apprentices.

"Yes, and Lilykit and Seedkit are becoming apprentices," Briarlight informed him.

Jayfeather nodded slowly, looking distracted. "Right."

Briarlight narrowed her eyes at him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jayfeather snapped.

Too used to his grouchiness to be fazed, Briarlight just shook her head. "Jayfeather, I know you better than that. What's going on?"

With a sigh, Jayfeather sat down heavily. "It's just that … Leafpool's moving back to the warriors' den tonight … I've gotten so used to her being _there_ that it seems unnatural for her to be leaving now. And, well, it was helpful having her with me."

Briarlight touched her tail to his shoulder sympathetically. "You always knew it would happen eventually. Leafpool's a warrior, remember? You couldn't have expected her to be there all the time."

Jayfeather flicked his tail. "I know, but-"

"No buts," Briarlight scolded him. "You'll have me, and I know some basic herbs. And I'm sure one of the kits in the nursery - or one of the kits to come - will take an interest in healing. You might have an apprentice soon, so you don't need to feel lonely."

"It's not loneliness that I'm scared of," Jayfeather confided. "It's the absence of a cat that's always there for you and guiding your paws, and making sure you do the right thing, somebody you can confide in. Leafpool was that cat, and now I feel … stranded. Not lonely, but alone. Do you know what I mean?"

_Millie used to be that cat for me,_ Briarlight thought. _But she's different now. I can't count on her anymore. _She looked up at Jayfeather. _He is that cat now,_ she realized. Taking a moment to think out her response, Briarlight stepped forward and pressed her muzzle into his shoulder. "I can be that cat if you want," she murmured.

There was dead silence for a moment, and surprise rushed through Jayfeather's pelt under Briarlight's nose. Then, with a relaxing of his tensed muscles, Jayfeather twisted his head around and licked Briarlight between her ears. "Of course I do," he meowed.

Before Briarlight could respond, Bramblestar's call rang out over the clearing. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Briarlight jerked her head up. The dark tabby leader was seated on the ledge, while cats were gathering in the clearing below. Cherrypaw and Molepaw looked excited, while Lilykit and Seedkit had to be held back by Sorreltail from rushing into the middle of the camp. Foxleap and Rosepetal sat at the edge of the hollow, puffing out their chests with pride, while Ivypool and Hazeltail exchanged joyful glances. Briarlight guessed the two she-cats were to be Sorreltail's kits' mentors.

"Today is a special day for ThunderClan," Bramblestar meowed as soon as most cats had gathered. "Two kits have reached their sixth moon, and two apprentices have completed their warrior training." He looked down at Poppyfrost's kits. "Cherrypaw and Molepaw, please step forward."

Cherrypaw leaped forward, and Molepaw padded out after her.

"Rosepetal and Foxleap, have your apprentices trained hard and learned the warrior code, and are they ready to become full warriors of ThunderClan?"

"Yes," meowed Rosepetal, her voice solemn.

Foxleap echoed the dark cream she-cat.

"Then, I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your code and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Cherrypaw, Molepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The dark tabby tom stared down at the two apprentices.

"I do," Molepaw meowed loudly.

"I do!" Cherrypaw added.

"Cherrypaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Cherrywing. StarClan honors your bravery and quick thinking, and welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." The newly named Cherrywing stepped forward as Bramblestar leaped down from the Highledge, and touched his chin to her head. She licked him on the shoulder respectfully and stepped back.

"Molepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Molestripe. StarClan honors your compassion and forethought, and welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Again, Bramblestar stepped forward to touch his muzzle to the new warrior's head. Molestripe licked his leader's shoulder and backed away, eyes shining.

"Cherrywing, Molestripe, Cherrywing, Molestripe!"

As the yowls died down, Bramblestar continued. "We also have two kits who are ready to become apprentices. Lilykit, Seedkit, please step forward."

Seedkit padded calmly forward, but her tabby littermate scampered ahead of her and skidded to a halt, looking up at Bramblestar with undisguised excitement in her eyes.

"From this day forward," the dark tabby leader meowed. "Lilykit will be known as Lilypaw." He turned to look out over his Clan. "Ivypool, you are ready for your first apprentice. You were incredibly brave spying in the Dark Forest for the Clans, and I hope you pass down your courage and quick thinking to Lilypaw."

The tabby-and-white apprentice turned and dashed to Ivypool, leaning upward to touch noses with her new mentor. Twitching her whiskers, Ivypool whispered quietly to Dovewing, who was sitting next to her, "Lilypaw is going to be a pawful."

Dovewing purred in amusement.

"Seedkit, from this day forward, you will be known as Seedpaw," Bramblestar continued. "Hazeltail, you will be her mentor. Dustpelt has taught you well, and I hope you pass along the skills you have learned to your new apprentice."

Hazeltail touched noses with Seedpaw.

"Lilypaw! Seedpaw!" the Clan chanted.

Eventually the yowls died down, and the meeting split up. Hazeltail immediately took Seedpaw out into the forest, much to the dismay of Lilypaw. "Why can't we go with them?" she complained to Ivypool.

"We'll explore the territory later. Right now, I want you to go change the elders' bedding …"

Briarlight turned away before she could hear anything else, and padded to the medicine den. Poking her head inside the medicine cave when she couldn't find Jayfeather in the clearing, she meowed loudly, "Hey! Jayfeather, are you there?"

There was no reply.

"Probably out collecting herbs," Briarlight muttered, pulling her head back and flicking her ears. She sniffed around the clearing, looking for a hint of where he had gone. A pitiful pile of catmint was laid out near a patch of ferns. "The abandoned Twoleg nest," she meowed quietly to herself. Rising to her paws, she shook bits of moss from her pelt and bounded out through the bramble tunnel, crossing the clearing.

She nodded to Birchfall, who was on duty outside the thorn tunnel, and doubled back along the Twoleg path. Greenleaf was in full bloom, ferns trailing along the edge of the path and trees rustling with leaves. Moss and ivy twisted up the trunks of the oaks and hung lazily from sweeping branches. As Briarlight padded along, a butterfly flickered across the path. Before she could think, she dashed forward and clapped it between her paws. Then she froze, realizing just how juvenile she looked. Releasing the butterfly, she shook out her fur and continued toward her destination.

A few fox-lengths ahead, she could see the grays and browns of the nest through the vibrant green of the forest. Leaping up onto the stone wall that surrounded the Twoleg nest, she scrabbled upward with her hind legs and dropped down on the other side of the wall, looking around for Jayfeather.

The silver medicine cat was gathering catmint near the wall of the Twoleg nest. Briarlight dropped down from the stone wall and padded quietly toward him. Jayfeather didn't even look up as he meowed, "Hello, Briarlight."

"Why are you gathering catmint?" Briarlight asked. "Does somebody have greencough?"

Jayfeather froze. "No," he meowed slowly.

Briarlight glared at him. "Who is it?"

"Purdy," Jayfeather muttered under his breath.

_What?_ Briarlight thought in shock. Purdy always struck her as the weird elder who talked too much, but never got sick. The fact that he had greencough was a surprise.

"That was a joke," Jayfeather meowed loudly.

Briarlight raised a paw and smacked Jayfeather upside the head. "Then what's the catmint for?"

Rubbing his ear with a paw, Jayfeather used his tail to sweep the catmint toward him. "Nothing really," he meowed. "It's just a good idea to have some catmint around. I was running low on it, so I decided to come and gather some." He split the herbs into two piles. "Can you hold one of these?"

"Sure." Briarlight leaned down and grasped a bundle in her jaws. Jayfeather did the same, and as one, they turned and headed back toward camp.

Instead of taking the Twoleg path back to camp, Jayfeather turned off the trail and headed into the trees, taking a shortcut to the stone hollow. Shrugging, Briarlight followed him. It would be faster, and besides, she didn't like being out in the open anyway.

A few fox-lengths into the trees, Briarlight heard a twig snap behind them.

Mind filled with images of snarling WindClan cats, she whirled around and flattened her ears. "Who's there?" she called, her voice muffled by the catmint.

The foliage rustled.

"What's wrong?" Jayfeather drew up beside Briarlight and stroked her flank with his tail to smooth her ruffled fur.

Before she could answer, a pointed, tawny head loomed out of the ferns. "Fox!" Briarlight screeched, spitting the catmint out. The herbs drifted against the roots of an oak, fluttering as the fox passed by. It looked hungry, its ribs showing through its pelt. Briarlight immediately shoved Jayfeather behind her.

"I can fight!" Jayfeather hissed, dropping his herbs and darting forward.

"No, you can't!" Briarlight retorted, pushing him back. "You can't and you know it!" Without waiting for an answer, she turned back around and crouched low, snarling at the fox.

Showing its teeth, the fox bristled and growled. It made a lunge for Briarlight, but she flashed out a paw and raked her claws across its nose. Yelping, it hopped back and pawed at its muzzle. "Stupid fox," she spat.

"Briarlight, you can't fight it on your own, you mouse-brain!" Jayfeather snapped, dashing forward again. "You're only one cat, and this is a _fox!" _

"I can't let you fight it, Jayfeather! You're a-" She was cut off as the fox leaped forward and snatched her scruff up in its jaws.

Screeching, Briarlight twisted around and tried to claw her way out of the fox's grip. But its jaws were relentless, and she couldn't get free. Then she saw Jayfeather, darting around its other side and raking his claws down the fox's flank. Yelping, it let go of Briarlight and whirled around to face Jayfeather.

_No! Get away from him!_ Briarlight heaved herself to her paws and let out a yowl. The fox turned, ears pricked, and lunged for her again. She widened her eyes and turned to run, but its claws raked down her spine and held her in place. Biting back a gasp of pain, she reached forward and struggled to grasp at a root. The fox yanked her backward and threw her against the ground, driving the breath out of her chest. Panting, Briarlight lashed out with a paw, half-blinded with her own blood. Pain gripped her shoulder and she recoiled, hissing.

The fox yelped in triumph and leaned in for the killing bite. Shaking, Briarlight shut her eyes and flattened her ears. _This is the end,_ she thought._ At least I'm going to die saving Jayfeather._

Yowls came from above Briarlight's head, and suddenly the fox was gone. She looked up, and saw Cloudtail, Toadstep, and Dustpelt swarming over it. Jayfeather hurried over to Briarlight as the three warriors sent the fox yelping away into the trees. Cloudtail and Toadstep pelted after it, while Dustpelt joined Jayfeather at Briarlight's side.

"Are you all right?" Jayfeather meowed worriedly, nosing her blood-streaked pelt.

"I'm fine," Briarlight gasped, sending a jolt of pain through her chest.

"No, you're not," Jayfeather snapped. "Don't lie to your medicine cat." Then, with a deep breath, he turned to Dustpelt. "Can … can you help me carry her back to camp?"

Briarlight didn't hear Dustpelt's reply, because she had already drifted into unconsciousness.


	9. Aftermath

**Sorry guys, I already planned out Briarlight's kits' names and they all have a special meaning behind them. C: You guys can submit names for Cinderheart's future kits though! Also, sorry I didn't update for the past few days! I've been really busy, but … I 'm back! :D Yay!**

**Also, the last chapter was a TEASER. Which means it WILL NOT HAPPEN for another ten chapters.**

**Thank you for reviewing, I love you guys! C: Please review this chapter too!**

**Chapter Nine**  
"Is she awake?"

"I think so. She's breathing."

Briarlight blinked her eyes open. She was lying in a moss nest in the medicine clearing, and Jayfeather was next to her, pressing his pelt against hers. The two voices she had heard came from Millie and Graystripe, who stared down at her anxiously, shuffling their paws.

"What happened?" Briarlight croaked. Her entire body hurt, and when she turned to look at her pelt, she could barely recognize her brown fur under all the cobwebs and marigold.

"Dustpelt and Jayfeather brought you back to camp after you were attacked by a fox," Graystripe explained. Then worry flashed in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

Briarlight curled up tightly again. "Just sore and tired," she murmured.

Millie exchanged a glance with Graystripe. As if they reached some agreement through their gazes, the two of them turned and padded out of the medicine den, tails entwined.

"Jayfeather?" Briarlight twisted her head around to touch noses with her beloved medicine cat. He was curled protectively around her, his eyes half-closed and one foreleg thrown over her shoulder, pulling her to him.

"You're awake," Jayfeather breathed, curling his tail around her haunches and touching his muzzle to her head. "I was so worried about you. Are you sure you're okay?"

Briarlight twitched her hind leg. "Everything just hurts, that's all."

Jayfeather blinked. "That's good. At least you're healing." Then he sighed and drew his foreleg away from her shoulders, tucking it under his body. "I couldn't bear it if I lost you," he murmured, so quietly Briarlight could barely hear it.

"You won't," Briarlight whispered back.

Jayfeather looked startled, as if he hadn't meant for Briarlight to hear what he said. Purring, he stood up and shook moss from his pelt. "I'll go get you some new cobwebs," he meowed.

"All right." Briarlight tried to stretch, but the pain overwhelmed her. Hissing, she drew back into a ball and flattened her ears. _How am I supposed to fight off WindClan in this sorry state?_ she thought angrily. _I can barely stretch!_

Jayfeather returned with his paw wrapped in cobwebs. "Hold still," he meowed, and shook the cobwebs onto the ground. Then he leaned down and began scooping the dirty dressings from her fur, flicking the bundles of marigold and cobweb into the ferns. When her pelt was clean, Jayfeather took the fresh cobwebs and spread them on her pelt.

"Eat this," he instructed her, passing Briarlight a few leaves. "It will soothe the pain."

Leaning forward, the brown she-cat lapped up the leaves and chewed them thoughtfully, then swallowed. Then she stretched experimentally. Pain throbbed in her back, but didn't seize her like before. The leaves were working.

"Oh, and some poppy seeds," Jayfeather meowed, pushing a few black seeds toward her. Briarlight swallowed them, and the pain lessened even more.

"How long do you think I'll be … you know … like this?" she asked Jayfeather anxiously. She wanted to be able to fight when WindClan attacked - she didn't want to lie around uselessly while she could fighting for her Clan.

"At least a quarter moon," Jayfeather informed her, circling her nest and propping up the sides with brittle ferns. "Why?" He looked up from his work and tilted his head.

"No reason. Just curious," Briarlight said quickly.

"You have to remember that I'm one of the Four, and that I can tell what you're thinking," Jayfeather reminded her. "I know very well that you're worried about WindClan, so the reason why you're asking this is because you want to know if you'll be healed in time for the battle, and the answer is yes."

Briarlight blinked. "Oh. All right."

Jayfeather purred in amusement. "It's sunhigh. Are you hungry?"

"I suppose." Briarlight struggled to her paws. "I'll go and get myself a mouse."

"No!" Jayfeather gasped, immediately pushing Briarlight back down into her nest. "You have to rest. Don't strain yourself. I'll go get you the mouse." Before Briarlight could protest, he bounded out of the medicine clearing.

Briarlight blinked again. _Okay then._

A few moments later, Jayfeather returned. He dropped a mouse at Briarlight's muzzle. "There!"

"Thank you." She leaned forward and took a bite of the mouse. She hadn't realized she was so hungry until then, and quickly gulped the fresh-kill in a few ravenous bites. Swiping her tongue over her lips, she looked up at Jayfeather. He was pacing back and forth, muttering to himself.

"Um … are you all right?" she asked hesitantly.

"Fine," Jayfeather grunted, and slipped away into the medicine cave.

"Strange," Briarlight murmured, flexing her front paws. They no longer hurt, and when she stretched her hind legs, they only gave off a low hum of pain. _I can manage a walk around the camp,_ she decided. Making sure that Jayfeather was still inside the cave, she pushed herself upward. Tottering on all four paws for a moment, she stuck out her tail and stiffened her legs. After a bit more stumbling and tripping, she eventually found herself at the mouth of the bramble tunnel, relatively steady. _You're a warrior,_ she reminded herself. _Just walk around the camp once, and come back. You can do this._

She took a step forward and promptly fell flat on her face.

_I take that back._

"Briarlight! Are you all right?" Bumblestripe raced over to his littermate, pelt fluffed out. "You know you shouldn't be up and about, not yet!" He nosed her upward, and Briarlight managed to get back on her paws.

"I'm fine. I think I'll just rest some more," Briarlight muttered, lashing her tail in frustration.

Bumblestripe watched her warily. "All right. If you're sure. Is Jayfeather in there?" He strained upward, trying to peer over Briarlight's head into the clearing beyond.

"Of course," she answered, turning around and lurching unsteadily back into the medicine den. She felt Bumblestripe linger a few more moments behind her, then turn around and head back to the nursery, where he had come from. Groaning, she lowered herself stiffly back into her nest and curled up again, just as Jayfeather emerged from the cave.

He lifted his nose and tasted the air, then turned to glare at Briarlight. "Were you outside?"

"No," she lied.

Jayfeather gave an exasperated sigh. "You keep forgetting I can _read_ your _mind_, Briarlight. I _know_ you tried to walk around camp, but fell on your face outside the bramble tunnel, and now you feel too embarrassed to tell me even though you know deep down that I already know about the incident anyway because I can read your mind."

Briarlight hunched her shoulders and glared at his paws. "I hate you."

"I also know by reading your mind that you don't really-"

"Can you please shut up?"

"No, because your mind tells me that-"

Briarlight stuffed her paws over her ears, although she had to admit that he was right. No matter how much he aggravated her with his mind-reading and annoyingly accurate rebuttals, she couldn't hate Jayfeather no matter how much she tried. She just loved him way too much for hatred.

"I'm going out to collect dock," Jayfeather announced, and, without waiting for answer, left through the bramble tunnel.

Briarlight opened her mouth to call something after him, but thought better of it and instead tried to stand up again. This time, she found that she could balance quite easily if she held her tail the right way, and the pain had lessened to a dull throb in her back. She took a few experimental steps forward, and didn't fall on her face. _That's a good start,_ she encouraged herself, and took a bigger step. She wobbled a bit, but didn't fall. Feeling brave, she bunched up her haunches and took a flying leap forward. To her surprise, she landed squarely on her four paws.

"I did it!" she yelped, bouncing in happiness.

Too late did she realize that her yowl drew the attention of half the Clan. Bumblestripe poked his head in through the bramble tunnel. "You all right?"

"Fine," Briarlight said hurriedly. "No need to come inside!"

Bumblestripe gave her a look, but then shrugged and back out of the tunnel again. The rest of the Clan dissolved into curious murmurs, returning to their previous duties.

_Okay. One walk around the hollow, and that's it. Not that hard._ Briarlight took a deep breath and padded through the bramble tunnel. She, miraculously, did not trip, and emerged into the clearing unscathed. "I did it-" she began to yell, but quickly shut up when she noticed Featherkit glancing over at her.

Briarlight placed one paw in front of the other, slowly progressing along the edge of the stone hollow. None of the Clan took notice of her, either too busy eating or talking or too far away from where she was to see Briarlight creeping through the shadows. As she moved, she felt her muscles growing stronger and the pain lessening even more until she could walk with ease. When she reached the fallen beech, she quickly hopped upward and grasped one of the roots with both of her front paws. "Ouch," she grunted as her shoulder twinged in protest. But, nevertheless, she pushed the pain away and heaved her body upward.

"OW OW OW OW," she yelped as she scrabbled with her hind legs and managed to pull herself up onto the trunk of the beech. Sending bits of bark showering down on the honeysuckle barrier, she crawled forward and stopped, all four paws splayed across the trunk. The climb had left her sore and tired, her shoulders and flanks screaming in protest. _Sorry,_ she apologized mentally. _I should have listened to Jayfeather's advice and just stayed in the medicine den._

She was getting ready to shimmy back down the trunk and return to the medicine den when Cinderheart came crashing through the thorn tunnel, her patrol streaming after her. "Bramblestar!" the gray she-cat yowled.

Startled, Briarlight fell off the side of the beech and crashed to the ground. The honeysuckle crumpled around her, letting out a sweet scent from its crushed white petals. Briarlight quickly scrambled backward, leaving torn leaves and stems in her wake. Purdy poked his head from his den and snapped, "Wha's with all the racket? I'm tryin' to sleep!"

"Briarlight! Are you all right?" Jayfeather returned through the thorn tunnel and raced over to her, leaving his dock forgotten near halfrock. The rest of the Clan was huddled around Bramblestar and Cinderheart's patrol. "Did you break anything? Did you open any wounds?" Jayfeather sniffed her pelt. "I don't think you reopened any injuries, but you need to stop getting up and walking around! Just _sleep_ for moment!" Jayfeather rested his forehead on her side and gave a loud, sorrowful sigh. "Please stop worrying me like this," he pleaded.

_He's making me feel guilty now,_ Briarlight thought, ashamed. "All right," she meowed. "I'll rest now. But as soon as I feel healthy, I'm going to go out on patrol again, okay?"

Jayfeather said nothing, only nudged Briarlight to her feet and steered her in the direction of the medicine den. Shrugging, Briarlight followed, limping slightly. As they passed by the rest of the Clan, still huddled around Bramblestar, she caught some of their astonished whispers.

"Did you know he only had one life left?"

"I can't believe he wasted it so _recklessly!"_

Briarlight narrowed her eyes and pulled away from Jayfeather's side, nudging Rosepetal. "What's going on?" she asked the dark cream she-cat.

Rosepetal spun, tail lashing. "Onestar died," she meowed hurriedly. "He attacked RiverClan as soon as he found out that we were allies, but he lost a life in the battle, and apparently it was his last. Ashstar is leader now, but she's just as angry with us as Onestar was …" She shook her head. "He's dead, and of course we all grieve - sort of - but the trouble isn't over. I'm pretty sure Ashstar is going to continue with the plans for attack."

"Well, at least Onestar-" Briarlight began.

"Briarlight, stop lingering around! Remember, you're still injured!" Jayfeather drew up beside her, and reluctantly she padded away.

Thoughts spun in her head. _Onestar is dead?_ Of course, she felt a pang of grief - no cat deserved to die, even a fox-hearted leader like Onestar. But at the same time, she felt a little happy. It was WindClan's fault for getting so riled up about the changed warrior code. If they had just accepted it and moved on - like the other Clans - they wouldn't have lost their leader. She felt a twinge of satisfaction that Onestar's foolish actions had led to his own death.

But even though Onestar was dead, Briarlight remembered Rosepetal's words. _I'm pretty sure Ashstar is going to continue with the plans for attack._ The trouble was far from over, and she knew in her heart that ThunderClan still needed to be alert. WindClan might have lost one leader, but they gained another one just as hungry for a battle.

Jayfeather left Briarlight curled up in her moss nest, and slipped into the medicine cave. A few moments later, he reappeared. Briarlight smelled the tang of thyme and noticed Jayfeather's pad dotted with black seeds. As he neared her, he shook the poppy seeds off of his paw and dropped the thyme, pushing them toward Briarlight meaningfully. With an exasperated sigh, she leaned forward and lapped them up.

"Stop mothering me," she grumbled. "I'm just a little injured."

Jayfeather shrugged. "I'm not mothering you. I'm just doing what a medicine cat is supposed to do - help his Clanmates."

Briarlight sighed. "Millie does enough mothering already. I don't need _you_ to be a second mother."

Jayfeather cocked his head and flicked his ear. "Then what do you need me to be?" he asked, as if the entire thing was one big joke that Briarlight had planned out.

"I need you to be my _mate_," Briarlight meowed.

There was no sound except for the chirping of the birds above the hollow. The ferns in the clearing rustled and a beetle scurried past Briarlight's paws. A soft wind ruffled Jayfeather's fur as he padded toward Briarlight and pushed his nose into her fur. "I already am," he murmured.

"Thank you," Briarlight sighed. The sun set over the hollow, and she found herself growing tired. She curled her tail around Jayfeather's body and pulled him down next to her, then closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. The silver medicine cat was startled, but not unwilling. Purring, he pressed closer to her, and the last thing Briarlight felt before she fell asleep was his tongue rasping over her ears.


	10. Surprise, Surprise

**Okay, I only deleted the author's note/teaser chapter because some LawlClanner told me it was against the rules. So … better safe than sorry. But from now on, if you're from LawlClan … please don't review my fanfictions. If you want to know why, read my profile.**

**Now, uh, on with the chapter. Please review! :D**

**Chapter Ten**  
Sagekit launched himself at Briarlight's tail, squeaking happily. Stormkit and Thrushkit, Sagekit's littermates, followed their brother, scrambling over Briarlight's hind legs and dragging her to the ground. "Attack! Attack!" Thrushkit squealed.

"That's enough, kits!" Squirrelflight, the kits' mother, called, poking her head out of the nursery. "Stop bothering Briarlight and come back to the nest!"

The three kits let out a collective groan. "Do we have to?" Stormkit complained.

"Yes, you have to," Squirrelflight scolded her son. "Come on. You must be hungry."

Stormkit perked up. "I am," he admitted, and raced back toward the nursery. Sagekit and Thrushkit exchanged a glance, and followed their their littermate with very fake, very unconvincing reluctance. As Briarlight shook out her fur and pulled herself to her paws, she could see that the three kits were all hungry, but just didn't want to show it. She suppressed a _mrrow _of amusement.

Then her thoughts darkened again. Squirrelflight's kits were already a moon old, Brightheart's kits were almost ready to become apprentices, and Dovewing's were just behind, but WindClan hadn't attacked yet. _Of course, I don't _want _a battle,_ Briarlight thought. _But it seems so suspicious. I'm sure they're planning something … _She narrowed her eyes. _And ShadowClan hasn't acted up either on their border. There's a conspiracy going on, I know it! Something's wrong _…

"You have that look _again,"_ Berrynose announced, padding up to her.

Briarlight blinked. "I do not!"

"Yes, you do. Jayfeather, does she have that _look _again?" Berrynose waved his tail at the silver medicine cat.

Jayfeather very solemnly marched over to her. "Yes, she does. I can also see that she thinks WindClan and ShadowClan are planning something because they haven't attacked yet, and she is suspicious of the fact that they look peaceful for the time being."

Briarlight bristled. "Am I the only cat in this Clan that's worried about WindClan?"

"No, but you're the only cat overreacting," Jayfeather countered.

"Nice one," Berrynose purred.

"I can't believe you two actually see this is as funny!" Briarlight spat. "WindClan and ShadowClan could attack at any moment, and you're _joking_ about it?"

Jayfeather touched his tail to her shoulder. "You need to calm down. If they attack, we'll be-"

"_If_ they attack?" Briarlight repeated. "You know just as well as I do that they're definitely going to attack, and it could be any moment now! For all we know, they could be attacking right now and we won't know it, because the entire _Clan_ is acting as if they never will!"

Berrynose backed away. "Right. Okay. Um, Jayfeather, I'll leave this up to you." He turned around and dashed away toward the warriors' den.

Jayfeather sighed. "Briarlight …"

"You have to give me credit," she meowed before he could continue. "If the attack _does_ happen right now, I'm the only cat who can warn the Clan, because I'm the only cat that's actually watching out for WindClan. The rest of you are - are -" She glanced around the camp. "The rest of you are just _eating."_

"Well, it _is_ dusk, when we usually eat," Jayfeather pointed out.

Something inside of Briarlight snapped. "That's it!" she barked. "I'm tired of being ridiculed just because I'm trying to look out for the Clan! If you're too busy _eating_ to fight, then don't blame me when you get ripped apart!" She spun around and stomped away, pushing out through the thorn tunnel and into the forest.

Without knowing it, she turned her paws toward the lake. Mind clouded with frustration, she half-slid down the slope and stumbled onto the beach. The setting sun had turned the lake in a shimmering expanse of red and orange. Briarlight padded down to the shoreline and lay down, resting her chin on her front paws. Now that she had stopped and had time to think, she immediately felt bad for what she had said. Jayfeather was only trying to cheer her up, and Berrynose was just being his usual self. And as she remembered Jayfeather's face when she stormed out of the camp, Briarlight felt a twinge of shame and regret. She hadn't meant to hurt him. She just wanted to make a point, but it seemed like Jayfeather had taken it a different way.

A bramble bush rustled behind her. Briarlight raised her head and looked back. Jayfeather padded down the slope, looking uncertain, and drew up beside Briarlight. Turning away from him, she stared out over the lake and said nothing.

Jayfeather was silent, sitting down next to her and quietly stroking her pelt with his tail. Briarlight didn't shake him off, but tensed under his touch. Was he mad? Was he hurt? She didn't dare say a word, scared that what came out of her mouth would just make it worse. Instead, she just raised her tail and twined it with Jayfeather's, hoping something good would come out of that action.

"I love you," Jayfeather said unexpectedly.

_React!_ Briarlight told herself. Purring, she raised herself to a sitting position and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I love you too," she heard herself respond.

Then they fell into silence, watching the lake ripple toward shore. They sat like that until the sun was just a faint glimmer over the ShadowClan pines, breathing each other's breath and warming each other's pelts. Silverpelt stretched high above their heads, and a half-moon hung in the sky. Briarlight sighed. She hadn't felt this peaceful in a while.

"Well, well, well, isn't this heartwarming," a snarl came from the trees.

Briarlight jumped to her paws and spun around, hissing. Ashstar stalked from the bushes, eyes narrowed. Behind her, Blackstar followed, muscles rippling under his pelt. "Ironic that the first cats we find on ThunderClan territory are you two," Ashstar spat.

"Jayfeather, I _told_ you-"

"That doesn't matter right now," Jayfeather hissed. "We need to get to RiverClan." He said this last sentence quietly in Briarlight's ear, so the two leaders couldn't hear.

A patrol of warriors followed Blackstar and Ashstar onto the beach. Ashstar lashed her tail and moved closer, eyes flashing. "Where are all of your warriors? Too frightened to come fight us off?" She raised a paw and slid out her claws, contemplating them quietly.

Despite herself, Briarlight grew furious. "Why-" she began, but stopped when she noticed that the WindClan and ShadowClan cats were heading back into the trees, almost as if they were retreating. A few moments later, it was as if they had never been there.

Briarlight narrowed her eyes. "Jayfeather, track them. I'll run ahead to the camp, alert Bramblestar, and send one of the apprentices to RiverClan." Without waiting for answer, she dashed off down the beach and swerved into the trees, making a wide circle around the WindClan patrol. Urgency lent speed to her paws and she raced through the forest toward the stone hollow.

"They're attacking! Now!" she yowled as she crashed through the thorn tunnel. "WindClan and ShadowClan!"

Bramblestar leapt to his paws. "Where are they?"

"Heading toward the camp. They're coming from the beach," Briarlight panted.

"All right," Bramblestar meowed, turning to face his Clan. "Seedpaw and Lilypaw, I want you to run to the RiverClan camp and get reinforcements. Go fast. Very fast." The two apprentices sped out of camp.

"Cloudtail, Poppyfrost, Hazeltail, Icecloud, Cherrywing, Berrynose, Mousewhisker, Ivypool, and Cinderheart," Bramblestar listed. "I want you to head around toward the ShadowClan border and attack from that side. Molestripe, Dustpelt, Foxleap, Birchfall, Lionblaze, Whitewing, Graystripe, Sandstorm, and Brackenfur, go around the other side and attack from there. Wait for my signal." The two patrols he had named pelted out through the thorn tunnel.

Finally, Bramblestar turned to the rest of the cats. "Thornclaw, Leafpool, Millie, and Briarlight, follow me. We'll meet the attack patrol head-to-head and try to drive them back toward the lake, where I presume RiverClan will be." He nodded to the remaining warriors. "Spiderleg, Toadstep, Bumblestripe, Blossomfall, and Sorreltail, you guard the camp and make sure the queens and Purdy are safe." With a nod, he dashed out the thorn tunnel. Briarlight followed. Millie, Leafpool, and Thornclaw padded after her.

They hadn't gone very far before Bramblestar raised his tail in a warning. As they halted soundlessly, Briarlight scented WindClan and ShadowClan ahead. Peering through the bushes, she saw a flash of gray fur. _Ashstar!_ She glanced over at her leader, waiting for the signal.

Bramblestar was still, muscles tensed under his pelt and eyes narrowed at the attack patrol heading toward him. He was so silent that for a moment Briarlight wondered if he was alive. Then he sped forward.

Without warning, Bramblestar shot through the ferns and yowled, "ThunderClan, attack!" before leaping onto Blackstar and wrestling him down to the ground. Countless other warriors surged from the trees and fell snarling onto their enemies. Taken by surprise, WindClan and ShadowClan yelped and began fighting desperately.

"The lake!" Bramblestar called.

_Right! Drive them to the lake!_ Briarlight crouched in front of a snarling black tom and lashed out with her paws, driving him slowly backward. The ShadowClan warrior spat and hissed, trying to force himself forward, but he was not used to fighting in such dense undergrowth. Lashing his tail, he darted around Briarlight and skittered up a tree, sending leaves fluttering down on Briarlight's head. _Oh, so that's how you're going to play it, _Briarlight thought grimly, launching herself up the same trunk and pursuing the enemy warrior into the branches. She could just see his black fur flashing above her.

"We train to climb," Briarlight spat, hurling herself upward and knocking the black warrior from a branch. "Do you?"

The ShadowClan tom yelped as he fell, scrabbling for a grip among the branches that flashed past. He managed to lurch to a halt at one of the lowest branches, both of his forelegs clawing desperately at the bark. Briarlight hopped down from her perch and leaned her face toward his, shoving her muzzle close to his nose. "Get out of our territory," she hissed. The tom slipped backward from his branch and crashed to the ground. As soon as he found his paws again, he dashed away toward the lake.

Even though she had managed to beat the black warrior, Briarlight realized with despair that the rest of her Clan was not faring so well. Most of her Clanmates were fighting two cats at once - evidently, RiverClan had not arrived yet. _We have to hold out until they come, _she decided. Leaping down from the tree, she landed on the back of a white ShadowClan she-cat.

The white warrior screeched and reared backward, trying to dislodge Briarlight's claws from her fur. But she only dug them in harder, raking the she-cat's spine with her hind legs. Spitting, the ShadowClan warrior dropped to all four paws and began to roll over. But Briarlight was ready. She bunched up her haunches and leaped off the she-cat onto the ground to avoid being crushed, and quickly spun around to face her enemy. _Snowbird,_ Briarlight recognized. She and the ShadowClan cat had been friendly with each other two Gatherings ago … then she shook the disloyal thought from her head. _This is your enemy!_ she reminded herself. _She is not your friend! _Yowling, she launched herself forward and caught Snowbird by the shoulders, pushing her roughly down to the ground and pinning her there. Briarlight stabbed her claws downward, holding her firmly in place. "Think again before attacking ThunderClan," she spat, raising her paw to rake her claws down Snowbird's cheek.

"Hey! Get away from her!" the distinctive screech of Tawnypelt sounded behind Briarlight, and a weight knocked her off of Snowbird. "That's my friend you just attacked," Tawnypelt spat, slicing her claws down Briarlight's side.

"Like I care," Briarlight muttered, heaving herself to her paws and immediately leaping at Tawnypelt, claws flashing. "This is my territory you just _invaded!" _She twisted and ducked, scoring her claws down Tawnypelt's belly fur and nipping her hind leg. As she came up on her other side, Briarlight noticed Bramblestar a few tail-lengths away, still grappling with Blackstar. She wondered how Tawnypelt felt, fighting against a Clan of which her own brother was leader.

The tortoiseshell she-cat took advantage of Briarlight's momentary lapse of attention, and knocked her onto her side. Before the brown warrior could leap to her paws again, Tawnypelt pinned her down. She shoved her muzzle in Briarlight's face, eyes blazing and mouth snarling. "You should think twice about changing the warrior code," she hissed, and raked her hind leg down Briarlight's soft belly fur. Blood blossomed in the line that followed her claws. Briarlight bit back a wail of agony and writhed away from Tawnypelt's grip.

"I always thought," she panted out between struggles. "... that you were a decent cat. Because you're Bramblestar's sister … and you went on the journey to the … sun-drown-place." Then she narrowed her eyes. "But I realized … that I'm horribly, utterly … wrong."

Tawnypelt's grip slackened for a moment, her eyes wide.

Immediately Briarlight surged upward and flung Tawnypelt a fox-length away from her. _She actually fell for that trick,_ she thought smugly. Then the pain in her belly made her gasp. _But not before inflicting some pretty nasty wounds,_ she admitted, hobbling to a bramble bush.

But before she could reach its thorny shelter, claws snagged in her pelt and threw her down onto her side. Rowanclaw leapt on top of her, ears flattened and eyes blazing with rage. _Oh, right,_ Briarlight remembered. _This stupid tom is Tawnypelt's mate._ Grunting, she managed to fight through the pain and kick out with her hind legs, sending Rowanclaw reeling backward. She quickly twisted and found her paws, spinning around to face the ShadowClan warrior. Blood trickled down her flanks and stained her belly fur a dark brown, but she knew she had to keep fighting. _Just until RiverClan gets here!_

But then she saw Snowbird and Tawnypelt drawing up beside Rowanclaw, eyes flashing and claws unsheathed. _StarClan,_ Briarlight thought. _They're ganging up on me._

As one, the three ShadowClan cats flew forward and fell snarling on Briarlight. Screeching, the brown she-cat lashed out with all four of her paws, but they bowled her over and slammed her down to the ground. Claws snagged on her shoulders, ripping out clumps of fur, but as Briarlight twisted her neck to snap her jaws at her attacker, another cat bit down on her hind leg. She gasped in pain, kicking out with her legs and momentarily fending the cat away. But not for long. Soon Briarlight had disappeared under a mess of rippling muscles and slashing claws. She was only just able to fend off the worst blows to her neck, but she knew she couldn't hold on much longer.

Blood trickled into her eyes and she blinked rapidly, trying to shake away the red droplets. _They won't kill me,_ she tried to assure herself. _These are warriors you're fighting, not rogues! They follow the warrior code … _then she remembered Nightcloud.

Briarlight's blood turned to ice. _I can't die. Not now! I have to say good-bye … to Jayfeather and to my littermates and my mother and my father … _she unsheathed her claws and surged upward, slashing desperately. Tawnypelt reeled backward, hissing, but Snowbird and Rowanclaw only fought harder. _Please, StarClan, _Briarlight begged, _At least let me say good-bye … _she screwed her eyes closed and waited for the end.

Then she heard a yowl that made her heart soar in relief.

"RiverClan, attack!"


	11. A Visit from StarClan

**Amazium – I understand your point; however, the people from LawlClan could be a bit more tactful with their reviews. Instead of being all formal and stiff by saying stuff like "Remove this chapter promptly or it shall be reported" or something like that, it would be a lot nicer to say, "Hey, not to worry you or anything but this chapter breaks the rules so you should probably change or delete it, just saying." It is both a) kinder and b) more likely to gain positive effects. And I do read the ToS completely; can you blame me if a few tiny details slip my mind every once in a while? Although I do appreciate that you like my story and that you, yourself, are a bit kinder in your argument, I still stand against LawlClan.**

**Now, I plan on naming one of Briarlight's kits either Fallowkit, Mallowkit, or Fennelkit. Please tell me in your reviews which one you prefer.**

**Enjoy the chapter! Please review. ^^**

**Chapter Eleven**  
Snowbird and Rowanclaw were ripped away from Briarlight by two RiverClan warriors, and a third sent Tawnypelt yowling away. Gasping, Briarlight gave them a nod of thanks, then stumbled to her feet and collapsed at the roots of the bramble bush. Her pelt was thick with blood and her entire body screamed with pain. _But at least I'm alive._ She pulled herself to safety, then turned around and looked at her wounds.

She couldn't see her pelt very well, because it was hidden under a thick layer of blood, but she could see the long gash in her belly and an ugly slash on her shoulder. Countless smaller scratches laced her body, and her right hind leg was striped with three deep slashes - probably from a vicious bite. The side that Briarlight was laying on stung in protest, and when she rolled over to look at it, she saw a succession of long, shallow scratches in her pelt. _Badly injured, but alive._

Twisting her head around, Briarlight began licking some of the blood from her pelt. But her neck stung with a protest, and she flopped down on her side, giving up. _I can't do this. _She dragged herself a little further under the bush and settled down, eyes half-closed. It was almost moonhigh, but screeches still rang from the shore. She longed to return to the fight instead of lying about uselessly.

But even Briarlight knew that she couldn't return to the battle after being wounded so badly. Blood still pulsed from her wounds, coating the thorns with a glistening layer of red. She gritted her teeth and struggled to drag herself up the slope and into the trees. She left a trail of blood behind her, but right now she didn't care about hiding her tracks - only reaching the camp and the medicine den. _And Jayfeather. _Her heart ached at the thought of the silver medicine cat. Where was he now? Was he thinking of her? Taking a deep breath, she pulled herself up over the ridge and lurched to her paws. Her legs trembled unsteadily, but she was able to stand. _Come on, you can do this!_ _For Jayfeather! _she thought determinedly, taking a step forward. Hissing as her paw touched down, she stuck out her crooked tail for balance.

But just as she started taking a second wary step, a WindClan warrior came rushing by, yowling. A leech clung to his flank, and he screeched, "Get it off! Get it off!" Wobbling, Briarlight tripped and fell onto her side, letting on a shriek of agony as the impact jarred her already-painful wounds.

_I can't go any farther,_ she realized, panting. Her wounds were too great, and the pain brought her down almost every time she took a step. She would have to wait for the battle to end, when she could be carried back to camp - and that could be any time from a few minutes to a whole day. At the moment, all of ThunderClan was too busy to help her. And by the time the battle was over - Briarlight glanced at the blood pulsing from her wounds - she could be dead.

It was nighttime, and the half moon gleamed at her from between the branches. Ferns trailed their fronds along her bloody pelt, and night birds chirped in the leaves. A honeysuckle bush bloomed near her head, its sweet scent reminding Briarlight of the elders' den in camp. _This isn't a bad place to die,_ she decided. _It's pretty, and quiet … _Briarlight closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. She was ready to die if StarClan decided to take her. She had led a good life, and she had found love, and she could always watch over her Clan from StarClan. As she descended into darkness, she found herself thinking only of Jayfeather's bright blue eyes. _I want to see him one more time before I die ..._

The next time she opened her eyes, in was in a starry hollow. The trees above glimmered with light and she recognized a pool fed by a trickling waterfall. _The Moonpool,_ she realized. Jayfeather had never taken her there, but she knew it in her heart, as if she had been there countless times. A star-speckled cat was watching her from the edge of the pool.

Silverstream.

"Am I dead?" Briarlight asked, raising her head. She was lying at the bottom of a path that led down to the pool. A moon gleamed above the hollow and everything was dusted in a sprinkling of stars. She looked around for other StarClan cats, but she could only see Silverstream and a stronger gleam behind the silver she-cat. _Silver,_ Briarlight sighed. _Why does everything have to remind me of Jayfeather?_

"In essence, you are dead," Silverstream responded quietly. She tilted her ears toward Briarlight's paws. They were glimmering with starlight, but when she glanced at her tail and the rest of her body, they were just as normal as any cat.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Briarlight growled. "Am I dead or not?" Her paws suggested that she was in StarClan, but the rest of her body suggested that she was not. _Maybe I'm not dead! _she dared to hope. _Maybe I don't have to leave Jayfeather just yet ..._

"StarClan has decided that you will not die," Silverstream meowed, "You have a destiny to fulfill, and a future to live." Her eyes twinkled, and she added, "Kits to have. It is not your time yet." Then her gaze darkened. "This battle should not have happened, and your death should never have come about. StarClan did not foresee any of this." She padded forward and touched her nose to Briarlight's head. "Too much blood has been spilled in a battle with no meaning. You must stop the fighting before more cats join our ranks." Her voice was heavy with sadness and regret.

"_More _cats?" Briarlight jerked her head up, her blood turning to ice. Cats couldn't have _died_ in the battle … could they? The horror of this new revelation gripped her like claws."Who?" she asked, dreading the answer.

Silverstream moved to the side and revealed a row of warriors at the other side of the Moonpool with a sweep of her tail. Briarlight strained her neck upward, trying to catch a glimpse of who they were. When she saw them, her breath caught in her throat.

_No. Oh, no._

Dustpelt was there, looking both happy and sad at the same time. He had found Ferncloud, and was rubbing his muzzle along her jaw and purring. Spiderleg walked circles around his mother, eyes glittering. Next to the brown warrior stood Sandstorm, who was busy covering Firestar's face in joyous licks. But even though Briarlight's fallen Clanmates looked happy to be reuniting with their loved ones, the air was thick with a bittersweet sorrow. _Three warriors,_ Briarlight realized. _Three warriors have died today because of … because of _me. Horror gripped her heart. _I never should have tried to change the code. I never should have become mates with Jayfeather. Cats have died in this battle. _She ducked her head in shame, paws shaking in terror and disbelief. _Nothing is worth their deaths._

"It is not your fault," Silverstream soothed her, padding toward her swiftly and silently. "These cats gave their lives willingly, fighting to defend their Clan. Do not blame yourself for following your heart." With these parting words, she touched Briarlight's head with her tail and the pool disappeared in a flash.

The forest was back, and the battle was still raging, even as dawn broke above the moors. Briarlight found herself in the same place as before, lying on her side with blood congealing along her wounds. _You must stop the fighting. _She recalled Silverstream's words.

But as she tried to get up, her legs buckled under her and she collapsed to the ground, her wounds giving her a painful reminder of how weak she was. Dragging herself forward, she tried to crawl to the ridge, but her claws were too sore and slipped on the dirt. Frustrated, she lashed her tail - which she later regretted, because the action sent a jolt of pain through her hindquarters - and hissed. She was too injured to get back to the battle and stop it.

_Somehow … I have to find the strength … to stop this bloodshed. _Briarlight gathered all of her strength and pushed herself to her paws. She trembled a bit, but was able to stand, and her wounds didn't hurt _quite _as much as before. _I can do this, _she encouraged herself, lurching forward unsteadily. Her paws tripped over each other and she rocked from side to side, but she was able to make it to the top of the slope. Below her, on the beach of the lake, all four Clans writhed in an endless battle. Blood stained the sand and unmoving bodies lay silent amidst the chaos. But the battle raged on.

Briarlight planted her paws in front of her, raised her head, and yowled, "Stop!"

Nothing happened. The fighting continued.

"Stop! This is not the will of StarClan!" Briarlight shouted. "None of this should have happened!"

This time, most of the cats stopped fighting, and looked up curiously at Briarlight. "What are you talking about?" Blackstar hissed. "This battle is just."

"StarClan came to me in a dream," she explained desperately. "They said this battle was not worth the bloodshed, and I had to stop the fighting before any more cats are hurt. We have to stop this now." Her eyes flashed in urgency. _Please believe me. Please stop fighting._

Blackstar narrowed his eyes. "You are nothing but an impudent young warrior. Why should we believe you?" His voice was a challenging growl, but Briarlight refused to be frightened by the black-footed ShadowClan leader.

"Because cats have died in this battle," Briarlight meowed, her voice heavy with sorrow. "Cats from all four Clans."

Ashstar whipped around, searching the clearing for her Clan. With a cry of despair, she dashed to the side of a golden-brown she-cat who lay on her side, blood trickling from a neck wound. "Heathertail! No!" She shuddered in horror. Then she raised her head, and darted over to a gray-and-white she-cat. "Gorsetail?" she whispered. "Gorsetail, say something!"

There was dead silence around the clearing.

The WindClan leader bowed her head in grief. "This battle is not worth these precious lives," she murmured. For a long while, she sat there, head lowered and eyes closed. Then she raised her head again. "I accept that WindClan has lost," she said quietly. "I no longer want to win."

Blackstar whirled around and asked Rowanclaw, "Are any ShadowClan warriors dead?"

Rowanclaw flattened his ears. "Scorchfur, Dawnpelt, and Toadfoot."

"No," Blackstar growled. "No, that can't be." He stumbled toward the unmoving bodies, nosing his warriors and trying in vain to wake them from an eternal sleep. He collapsed next to Toadfoot, nose buried in his fur. "Get Littlecloud," he grunted to Tigerheart, who whirled around and dashed away.

_It's too late for Littlecloud,_ Briarlight was tempted to say. She glanced at Mistystar, who had already begun dragging her dead warriors home. The RiverClan leader glanced back at Briarlight, eyes filled with sorrow. "No victory is worth this," she said quietly, then led her Clan away.

_No victory is worth this, _Briarlight echoed.

Bramblestar raised his head. "This battle is over," he declared. "Take your wounded and dead and leave ThunderClan territory." Even as he said those decisive words, his voice was thin was horror.

Ashstar stood. "Crowfeather, Whitetail, Sedgewhisker - carry the bodies back to camp." She began padding along the shore back to her territory. "Let's go," she murmured to her warriors as she passed. Soon, WindClan had left, and only ShadowClan and ThunderClan remained on the shore.

"Blackstar," Bramblestar began.

"ShadowClan will leave," Blackstar cut in. He shook his head. "This bloodshed was worthless." After choosing warriors to carry the dead bodies back to camp, ShadowClan followed their leader and vanished into the trees. A fern rustled, and then everything was shore was empty now, except for ThunderClan.

Bramblestar bowed his head and meowed, "Who is dead?"

Cinderheart, who was acting as deputy while Squirrelflight was in the nursery, responded to her leader, "Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Spiderleg."

"Dustpelt, Sandstorm, and Spiderleg," Bramblestar repeated. Sighing, he shut his eyes. "Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Hazeltail, Foxleap, and Icecloud, carry their bodies back to camp so we may hold a vigil." The five cats he had named plodded over to their dead Clanmates and nudged them onto each other's backs, then slipped away into the trees toward camp.

Bramblestar turned to Briarlight. "Thank you," he murmured softly.

_Don't thank me,_ she thought. _I was too late. Too late for Sandstorm, for Dustpelt and Spiderleg. Too late for all of the cats in the other Clans who lost their lives in a worthless battle. _She shook her head slightly. _The worthless battle that _I _caused._ No matter how much she wanted to deny it, all of the blood that had been spilled was on her paws. Silverstream should not have let her live. _I'm a monster. A murderer. _Bramblestar had to know what she had done. Her legs began to tremble. The wounds on her body had opened up again, and blood was trickling freely from her pelt. Black dots crowded in on her vision.

"I-" she choked out, but crumpled to the ground, unconscious.


	12. Half Moon

**I've decided on Mallowkit. C:**

**Anyway, in this chapter, a question that some of you may be asking shall be answered: What about Half Moon? Well, just read on. :D**

**Also, yes, in this chapter Briarlight **_**finds out**_** that she is expecting kits. But she will not give birth for another few chapters. Don't worry though; I'm not going to make her stay in the nursery and be all boring the whole time she's expecting. Briarlight's going to be doing exciting stuff! :D Yay!**

**Now, chapter time! Please review, I love you guys. :3**

**Chapter Twelve**  
Briarlight drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Her mind was filled with images of blood, claws, dead bodies, glazed eyes - then darkness. Just darkness. A black abyss so overwhelming she almost choked on the horror that hung in the air. She gasped desperately, trying to fight her way out of this new enemy. But it clung onto her like a burr, filling her ears and mouth and eyes with screams and the sense of fear … paralyzing fear …

When she blinked her eyes open, the first thing she felt was the pain. Oh, it hurt so much. Briarlight almost let out a screech of agony, but then found a fluffy white tail covering her mouth. She looked up. Green eyes gleamed down at her.

_There's no cat in ThunderClan that looks like that,_ Briarlight thought before the mysterious white cat dropped a moss ball full of water at her mouth.

"Drink," the white cat murmured.

"Who are you?" Briarlight whispered, but she leaned forward and lapped up a few drops of water from the moss.

The green-eyed white cat slid her paws over Briarlight's body, easing the pain and helping her breath. "My name is Half Moon," she meowed as she massaged the aches and stings from Briarlight's pelt.

"Half Moon?" Briarlight wondered. That wasn't a Clan name. "Where-" she began, but was cut off when the white cat - Half Moon - laid her tail over Briarlight's mouth again.

"Sleep," Half Moon whispered.

And then, in a gust of wind and a flurry of leaves, the white she-cat had disappeared.

A moment later, Briarlight's eyes closed and she fell into a deep sleep.

The next time, she opened her eyes, it was for real. Her body didn't hurt as much anymore - Half Moon's paws had eased the stinging pain and left only a dull ache in her shoulders, flanks, and belly. Jayfeather was leaning over her, his blind blue eyes wide with worry. When he noticed Briarlight's eyes blinking open, he let out a sigh of relief. "You're awake," he meowed. "How do you feel?"

Briarlight purred and flexed her paw. "Just a little sore, thanks to Half Moon," she said.

Jayfeather stiffened. "What did you say?" His voice was sharp with surprise.

"Just a little sore," Briarlight repeated, mystified.

"No, no, I mean - did you say Half Moon?"

Briarlight tilted her head and blinked at him. "Yes," she replied slowly. _Does Jayfeather know Half Moon? But … how? She's obviously not from around the Clan territories …_

"Oh. I …" Jayfeather cleared his throat. "Right. I'll go get you some fresh cobwebs …" He turned and started back toward the medicine cave.

"Jayfeather," Briarlight called after him.

The silver medicine cat stopped, uncertainty and embarrassment prickling his pelt.

"Who's Half Moon?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Jayfeather said quickly - too quickly. Briarlight just gave him a look, as if to say, _come on, I know you better than that,_ and he heaved a sigh, sitting down heavily. "All right, all right, I know who Half Moon is - or, rather, who she _was._" Before Briarlight even had a chance to be confused, he swept on. "Half Moon … I _loved _her."

A claw pierced Briarlight's heart, sending a jolt of pain through her chest. "What?" she sputtered.

"That's not what I meant!" Jayfeather amended quickly. "She was an Ancient cat, one of the cats who lived by the lake countless seasons ago. She's dead now, but I see her in my dreams. I loved her, that's true, but I can never be with her. And now that I have you, Briarlight, I don't need to be. _You_ are all I could ask for in a mate. I love you."

Briarlight blinked back tears that were threatening to spill over. "This entire time," she cried, heart wrenching. "You've never really loved me? You were always attached to this … this Ancient she-cat? How could you?" Her voice rose to a shrill wail and she lurched painfully upward from her nest. "How could you _do_ this to me? I thought you loved me! I really did!" She stumbled backward, heartbroken tears blurring her vision. "And I was wrong." She spun around and staggered out the bramble tunnel, tripping over her paws. But she couldn't give him the satisfaction of turning back around, so she pushed out into the clearing, and, overcome with pain, collapsed to the ground and lay there shaking in a heap.

"Look, Briarlight, please," Jayfeather called after her, his own voice shaking. "Hear me out, will you?"

"No!" the brown she-cat screeched, not even paying attention to the cats that were gathering around them, and the pain that throbbed through her body. "No, I won't hear you out!" She pushed past Jayfeather and surged through the bramble tunnel, leaving stunned cats in her wake. Almost blinded by tears, she stumbled toward her nest and flopped down onto it, curling into a ball and tucking her nose under her paws. The pain that rushed through her at so much movement combined with the heartbreak of Jayfeather's betrayal rose in her throat and erupted as a wordless wail. She shut her eyes and shoved her muzzle into the moss, muffling the sound.

"Briarlight," Jayfeather meowed, coming up behind her. "Please."

"How could you?" Briarlight sniffled, raising her head slightly and turning to glare at him. "How could you do this to me?"

"Half Moon is of the past," Jayfeather said desperately. "She is dead, and she walks different skies. I love _you_, Briarlight. Please, just … I'm sorry, all right?"

Briarlight trembled. "I … I can't-"

Suddenly something shimmered between her and Jayfeather. The shimmer solidified, and took the shape of a white cat with green eyes. Half Moon! Briarlight stared at her in confusion and surprise. _What is she doing here?_

"Why did you save me?" Briarlight asked. "Why did you save me if you knew that I was Jayfeather's mate?"

Half Moon closed her eyes and dipped her head to the brown she-cat. "Because I know that if I have no chance to be with him, then at least I should make sure his new love stays alive."

"But he doesn't love me," Briarlight whispered. "He loves _you."_

"That's not-" Jayfeather began, but Half Moon shook her head. For a moment the silver medicine cat looked like he was going to argue, then he nodded sharply and fell silent.

Half Moon turned back to Briarlight. "It is true that he once cared for me," she murmured. "But that time has passed. And Jayfeather has moved on - to _you._ He loves you, Briarlight. You don't realize how much he needs you."

"I don't _need_ any-" Jayfeather began, but then quickly shut his mouth when he realized how contradictory he sounded.

"Please give him another chance," Half Moon meowed. "You don't know how lucky you are." She turned around and gave Jayfeather one last glance with her warm green eyes, then faded away with a gust of wind. The medicine cat and Briarlight were left alone in the clearing.

"B-Briarlight," Jayfeather started.

"I'm sorry," Briarlight mewed before he could go on. "I should not have said those things. Do you forgive me?" She looked up at him, her amber eyes pleading.

"I already have," Jayfeather sighed, and padded forward, pushing his nose into her fur. "I … I, uh …"

Briarlight understood. There were no words to express both the relief, regret, and embarrassment that they both felt. But somehow they knew that the other really did regret their previous actions, and they didn't even have to say anything. Briarlight felt a wave of relief. Jayfeather was hers, and with the consent of his former … well, former love, she supposed. She looked up at the sky. _Thank you, Half Moon._

Then all of the pain came rushing back into her body, as if compensating for all of the vigorous movement of the past few minutes. It felt like a giant claw was ripping through her body, slicing new wounds and opening old ones. Briarlight recoiled into herself, letting out a cry of agony. Jayfeather leapt back, eyes wide. "Are you all right?"

"Do I _look_ all right?" Briarlight spat back, trembling. Her body felt slick with blood from reopened wounds, and her head was spinning with pain. _At this point, I think it would be better for all of us if I died._

"Don't think like that!" Jayfeather snapped, dashing into the medicine cave and rushing back out with marigold, cobwebs, and a pawful of poppy seeds. He spat out the marigold and shook the cobwebs and poppy seeds from his paws. Then, with a light touch, he scooped up some marigold and began chewing the leaves into a pulp. After he finished, Jayfeather spat the ointment out and rubbed it onto Briarlight's body. Securing the poultices with cobweb, he leaned down and sniffed her wounds. "The belly wound is the worst. Everything else seems to be healing well enough." He nudged the poppy seeds toward her muzzle. "Eat those."

Briarlight drew in a rasping breath and leaned forward, lapping up three of the tiny black seeds. As she swallowed, the pain in her body lessened to a dull ache, and she gave a sigh of relief. "Thank you," she murmured to Jayfeather.

The silver medicine cat said nothing, only sat there with his tail wrapped around his paws. Fear and worry spiked his fur, and his blind eyes flashed with uncertainty. Briarlight knew he was concerned for her life, but after everything that had happened - Half Moon, StarClan, Silverstream - she had a feeling that she would live a little longer.

"That's good," Jayfeather meowed.

_Oh, right. I forgot he reads minds._

"I wonder what our kits would look like," Jayfeather said suddenly.

"What?" Briarlight sputtered.

Jayfeather looked surprised, as if he hadn't meant to say that out loud. "Um … nothing," he said quickly, and stood up. "I'm going to go … uh … check on our herb supplies." He swiftly turned and shuffled away toward the medicine cave, embarrassment prickling his pelt.

Briarlight stifled a _mrrow_ of amusement. Jayfeather might be a grouchy medicine cat, but he was _her_ grouchy medicine cat. She laid her head down on her paws and closed her eyes, hoping for a dream. A few moments later, sleep crashed over her like a wave.

For a moment, she floated in darkness. Then a light gleamed ahead, and it grew bigger and bigger until finally it flashed right in front of her face. Briarlight blinked, and saw that she was now at the top of the hill where she always met Silverstream. The silver she-cat was waiting for her like always, her eyes gleaming. When she noticed Briarlight, Silverstream stood and padded forward. "Congratulations," she meowed.

"What?" Briarlight tilted her head.

"Congratulations," Silverstream repeated.

"What are you talking about?" Briarlight meowed. "Congratulations on what?"

"On your kits," the silver she-cat explained simply.

"Oh … okay. Thank y - _what?_" Briarlight sputtered. "Kits?"

"Yes." Silverstream wove around the brown she-cat, leaving glimmers of stardust on Briarlight's pelt. "I take it you're not going to tell Jayfeather?"

"O-of course not," Briarlight stammered, still stunned by Silverstream's insightful revelation. "B-but he's a medicine cat. Won't he be able to tell?"

"Not with his own mate," Silverstream assured her. "Don't worry. They're not due for another two moons at least, so you don't need to go to the nursery just yet." Then her eyes darkened. "Listen, if anything goes wrong, sacrifice the kits, do you understand? I don't think Jayfeather would be able to deal with your death if you decided to give up your life for your kits. Promise me!"

Briarlight widened her eyes, astonished at how fast everything was going. "I-I promise," she said. "But I-"

"Wake up," Silverstream interrupted her.

"But I-"

"Wake up!"

Briarlight's eyes flew open.

Jayfeather was pacing back in forth in front of her, his tail-tip twitching. A sorry amount of chervil was laid out in front of him, and he stopped and sniffed the pile, wrinkling his nose. When he realized Briarlight was awake, he turned to face her and purred. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh …" Briarlight's ears grew red now that she knew she was expecting kits. "I'm, er … I'm feeling fine." She wondered if she was going to be able to look Jayfeather straight in the eyes until the kits were born. It was just too awkward to talk to him now that she knew about the kits. Carefully guarding her mind, she made sure he couldn't read her thoughts. "I'm feeling fine," she repeated.

Giving his mate a strange look, Jayfeather just shrugged. "All right, if you say so."

Briarlight's whiskers quivered.

"I'm going to go out and collect some chervil," Jayfeather meowed, waving his tail at the pile of leaves. "Can you manage on your own?"

"Of course," Briarlight said quickly. The sooner Jayfeather left, the sooner she could have time to herself, and the sooner she could sit down and _think_ about everything. Silverstream's voice was still whirling in her head, and she couldn't shake off the strange urgency that the silver she-cat had when she told her to sacrifice the kits if anything went wrong.

Briarlight was so focused on her dream that she didn't realize Jayfeather had left. When she did, she immediately gave a sigh of relief. Now she could finally have a bit of time to think by herself.

Where to start? It was great that she was going to have kits, of course - she was excited and all, like all mother-to-be's are. But she was also worried at the same time. What would the Clan think of this? What would the other Clans think of this? What would _Jayfeather_ think? Would he happy? Probably; he had seemed excited at the prospect. But still, she was unsure. After all, the code had only changed a few moons ago … he could still be queasy about the whole thing.

But then something happened that banished all negative thoughts from her head, and instead made her feel warm and fuzzy and fiercely protective.

Something moved inside of her.


	13. Snow and Rain

**Hey guys! Sorry for the slow update, but I've been busy.**

**And WOW. I can't believe it. Over 100 reviews? Oh my gosh, you guys are the best! When I saw that I had so many reviews, I just … whoa. To celebrate, I've decided that I will make a story where each chapter is a oneshot, and YOU GUYS (the reviewers!) can choose the cat/pairing that you want one of the oneshots to be about. This only applies for chapter thirteen, and after I post chapter 14, it will no longer be in effect.**

**Anyway, on with the chapter! This one is a bit shorter than the others, but oh well. I promise I'll update tomorrow or the day after. :D**

**Chapter Thirteen**  
"Hey, Jayfeather, is Briarlight in there?" Foxleap asked from the mouth of the bramble tunnel.

Jayfeather looked up from where he was making leaf bundles. "Yeah, she is. Do you need her for something?" He glanced over at the brown she-cat. Instinctively she curled tighter around herself, paranoid that if she showed her belly to anybody they'd notice that she was expecting. It was a half moon after the battle and her injuries had healed, but that also meant that her belly was growing slightly bigger.

"Bramblestar wants to speak with her and Toadstep and Mousewhisker," Foxleap explained.

Briarlight felt a flash of panic. _Bramblestar wants to speak with me?_ What if he'd noticed that she was expecting kits? But then she chased the idea from her head. Why would he ask for Toadstep and Mousewhisker too? She soothed herself with this thought. Then a new idea hit her. _What if he wants to have them as witnesses?_ Horror gripped her heart.

"Are you coming?" Foxleap asked, poking his head inside the medicine clearing.

With a nervous chuckle, Briarlight rose to her paws, shuffling her legs inward to hide her belly. "Uh … yes, I'm coming," she meowed, and padded stiffly toward Foxleap. The ginger warrior gave Briarlight a strange look, then shrugged and bounded into the clearing.

Foxleap flicked his tail at Briarlight as he veered away to join a hunting patrol, and then the brown she-cat was left alone in the middle of the clearing. Toadstep and Mousewhisker were scrambling up the slope toward Highledge, and Briarlight knew that if she didn't join them soon Bramblestar would come look for her. Taking a deep breath, she checked her belly - not too noticeable yet - and followed the two toms up toward Bramblestar's den.

She joined Mousewhisker and sat down, curling her tail over her paws. Bramblestar sat in front of the three cats, waiting for Toadstep to settle down before speaking. "Brightheart's kits are old enough to be apprenticed," he meowed. "I want you three to be their mentors."

Before she could think, Briarlight blurted, "But I can't be a mentor!"

Bramblestar glanced at her. "Why not?"

Cursing herself for her stupidity, Briarlight racked her brain for something to say. She couldn't say that it was because she was an expectant queen - the news would eventually get around to Jayfeather and she didn't want him to find out like that. But what else could she say that sounded like a viable excuse? "B-because …" she began, stalling for time. "I, uh … I haven't gotten used to my legs yet." Even as she said it, Briarlight knew it was a weak excuse.

"I've watched you," Toadstep meowed. "You seem perfectly all right with your legs."

Bramblestar flicked his tail in agreement. "You're fighting and hunting just like you did as an apprentice," he pointed out. "If you don't want to have an apprentice, I suppose I could find another mentor …"

"No, no!" Briarlight said hurriedly. She didn't want Bramblestar to suspect anything. "That's all right, I'll be a mentor."

"Good," Bramblestar meowed. "I'll hold the ceremony at sunhigh, which should give you just enough time to get ready." He leveled his amber gaze at the three warriors.

Toadstep nodded. "Yes, Bramblestar."

Mousewhisker and Briarlight quickly meowed their assent, and when Bramblestar dismissed them, the three cats all rose as one, turned around, and padded out of the den. As soon as they were out of earshot, Toadstep turned to Briarlight and sneered, "I don't see why Bramblestar chose you as a mentor."

Annoyed, Briarlight looked away and refused to react, padding past Toadstep and slipping into the bramble tunnel. Jayfeather was still making leaf bundles, but when the brown she-cat neared him, he looked up, ears pricked. "What did Bramblestar want you for?" he asked.

"He wants me to mentor one of Brightheart's kits," she replied, looking up at the sky. It was almost sunhigh. She quickly twisted around and began grooming herself.

"Really?" Jayfeather perked up. "That's great! Did he say who?"

"No," Briarlight meowed, licking a tuft of fur into place. Then she sat down, ran her tongue over her paw, and drew it over her ear. She quite honestly wasn't that excited. Yes, of course it was great to be chosen as a mentor, but she would only have an apprentice for a moon or so. Then she would have to move to the nursery because of her kits.

Jayfeather picked up on the absence of excitement. "Aren't you happy?" he inquired.

"Of course!" Briarlight responded, pricking her ears as if surprised that Jayfeather had even doubted her enthusiasm. "I'm just a bit tired, that's all."

Shrugging, Jayfeather wrapped up his last bundle and pushed it into place next to the others. "All right," he meowed. "Well, I'm happy for you. It's high time you got an apprentice."

Briarlight felt warm. "Th-thanks," she stammered. His remark only made her feel guiltier that she hadn't told Jayfeather about the kits yet. But now wasn't the right time. For some reason she felt that she would _know_ when it was the right time, and this wasn't it. Briarlight forced down the urge to blurt it all out and looked up at the sky again. The ceremony would start soon.

As if he had heard her thoughts, Bramblestar's yowl came from the clearing. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Suddenly feeling nervous, Briarlight rose to her paws and headed toward the bramble tunnel. Jayfeather followed behind her, and when she emerged into the clearing, he nudged her toward the center of the clearing. Fur prickling with both excitement and apprehension, she forced her paws forward and sat down near the middle of the Clan. Jayfeather settled down outside the medicine den, but gave Briarlight a reassuring nod.

"Today is a very special day for three ThunderClan kits," Bramblestar announced. "They have reached their sixth moons and are ready to become apprentices. Snowkit, Amberkit, and Dewkit, would you please step forward?"

The three kits, eyes shining with excitement, padded toward the Highledge. Brightheart and Cloudtail sat a few tail-lengths away, chests puffed out and tails waving with pride.

"Snowkit," Bramblestar meowed. The white tom looked up at his leader, ears pricked. "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Snowpaw." He paused and looked out over his Clan. "Your mentor will be Briarlight. I trust she will pass down all of her knowledge to you." He bounded down from the Highledge, touched his nose to Snowpaw's head, and after the white apprentice licked his leader on the shoulder, Snowpaw turned and padded toward Briarlight, reaching up to touch noses with her. Stifling a purr, Briarlight moved to the side to let Snowpaw sit next to her. So what if she was expecting kits? _I'll do everything and anything I can to help you become a great warrior,_ she promised.

Bramblestar went on to give Amberpaw to Toadstep, and Dewpaw to Mousewhisker. After the Clan finished chanting their names, the meeting broke up. Cats began to head out into the forest for patrols, or to the fresh-kill pile for something to eat. Briarlight stood up and cast her eyes around the camp. Millie, Graystripe, and her littermates were heading over to her, eyes shining with pride.

"You never told me Bramblestar chose you," Millie meowed.

"I … I didn't have time," Briarlight replied, glancing down at Snowpaw. The white tom was bouncing in circles around the brown she-cat, excitement sparking from his fur.

Graystripe purred. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"Thanks!" Briarlight brightened.

"Bumblestripe! Blossomfall!" Hazeltail called from the thorn tunnel. "Come join our hunting patrol!" The two warriors nodded at Briarlight, then turned and followed Hazeltail out into the forest. A few moments later, Millie and Graystripe headed off to the fresh-kill pile.

"What are we going to do first?" Snowpaw panted excitedly.

Briarlight thought quickly. "Um … we'll go out and explore the forest," she meowed.

Snowpaw brightened. "Can Amberpaw and Dewpaw come with us?" he asked.

_Only if Amberpaw comes alone, _Briarlight thought. She wasn't in the mood to deal with Toadstep at the moment. "No, we're going out alone this time," she meowed. "Don't worry though, you'll have plenty of chances to train with your littermates later."

Unfazed, Snowpaw nodded. "Okay! Where are we going to go first?"

Briarlight flicked her tail and padded through the thorn tunnel. "I think we'll go down by the lake first," she called over her shoulder to Snowpaw, who was following behind. "Then we'll double around toward the ShadowClan border and back to camp."

Snowpaw bounced on his paws. "All right!"

As they padded through the forest, Briarlight raised her head and tasted the air. The trees were starting to turn red and gold, and the air was thick with the scent of fallen leaves. It was early leaf-fall, and a brisk wind ruffled her brown fur. _We won't stay out long,_ Briarlight decided. It was too chilly for that.

Snowpaw suddenly let out a gasp. "Is that the lake?" he breathed in awe.

Briarlight turned to see what he was looking at. She hadn't realized that they had already reached the lake. Just beyond her paws, the ground fell away in a gentle slope down to the beach. The lake shimmered before her in the afternoon sun, the clouds in the sky reflected as pale smudges on its surface. Briarlight flicked her tail over Snowpaw's ear. "That's the lake," she confirmed.

"I didn't realize it was this big," Snowpaw meowed, waving his tail. "Can I go down there?" He glanced at Briarlight, eyes questioning.

"Fine," Briarlight meowed, then glanced up at the sky. "But don't take too long. We have to get back soon." As if reinforcing her words, a gust of wind brought a slap of rain against her body. She blinked and flicked her ear at Snowpaw. "Never mind about the ShadowClan border. Do what you need to do and we're heading back to camp."

Snowpaw nodded and dashed down the slope toward the lake. Squeals floated up from the beach as he splashed in the shallows. Briarlight stifled a _mrrow_ of amusement and followed her apprentice down onto the shore, if not a bit more slowly. She wondered vaguely if she was this enthusiastic when she was an apprentice. _I hope not,_ she thought, purring. _That would be embarrassing._

The clouds turned gray and the air grew heavier. Briarlight glanced at Snowpaw, who was still dabbing his paws in the lake with glee. "Let's head back now," she called over the wind that was now whirling around them. Fluffing up her fur, she narrowed her eyes against the sand that swirled in the air and padded toward her apprentice.

"Okay," Snowpaw said, looking up. He seemed to notice the cold winds and stinging drizzle for the first time, and his eyes widened. Turning, he lowered his head against the storm and followed Briarlight up the slope and into the forest.

Under the canopy of leaves, the rain wasn't as punishing as out in the open, but the two cats still found themselves soaked to the bone before they even reached the Twoleg path. Briarlight glanced at Snowpaw, who was looking a bit dejected. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Snowpaw jumped. "What? Oh … nothing," he muttered. "I just thought … I could do everything with my littermates …"

Briarlight touched her tail to his shoulder. "I felt that way too," she sympathized. "But you have to get used to it. You're apprentices now, and you'll have different mentors and different patrols. Warriors do things apart from their littermates all the time! Think of it like that - your first step to being a true warrior," she suggested.

Snowpaw brightened. "I never thought of it that way," he admitted. "Thanks!"

Feeling proud of herself, Briarlight gave Snowpaw a nod. She felt oddly protective of her apprentice, like she never wanted him to come to harm. In the back of her mind, a voice suggested, _Like you'll feel with your kits?_ but she ignored it and pushed it down under the responsibility of having an apprentice.

Then she thought of something. _My kits!_ She glanced down at her belly. The rain had slicked her fur down and made her belly more noticeable. When her fur was dry and fluffy, it was easier to disguise the fact that she was expecting. But with the rain making her pelt cling close to her body, well, her belly wasn't that big yet, but it would be enough to make at least Leafpool suspicious. Briarlight instinctively glanced at Snowpaw, but he padded along like nothing was wrong. _So maybe only Leafpool will notice,_ Briarlight hoped._ And she won't tell any cat, I know she won't._

Confident again, she managed to chase her worries from her head and tasted the air. They were near the camp, but Briarlight could scent something that wasn't cat … it smelled familiar, but unfamiliar at the same time … she sniffed again. _It's not dog, _she thought. _And it can't be badger, because I've never scented a badger before and this smells familiar …_ Briarlight's heart pounded.

Then it her.

_Fox!_


	14. Medicine

**Okay, no more one-shot requests.**

**Anyway, this chapter is considerably shorter than most of them, but I didn't want to keep you guys waiting and I couldn't think of a better chapter ending than this. So, here it is! (The Chapter 20 teaser from before doesn't apply anymore. ^^)**

**Thanks so much for reviewing, and enjoy the story!**

**Chapter Fourteen  
**Heart racing, Briarlight shot forward. "Fox!" she gasped to Snowpaw. "As soon as you get inside the camp, go to the apprentices' den. You haven't had any battle training yet."

"But I-" Snowpaw protested.

"Just do what I say!" Briarlight spat, and plunged through the thorn tunnel. Not bothering to check where Snowpaw went, she skidded to a halt just inside the camp and cast her eyes around breathlessly. Two foxes were barking and growling near the nursery and the warriors' den, while ThunderClan cats crouched in front of them, hissing and lashing with their paws. Rain pelted down on the foxes' pelts, but they didn't pay any attention to it. Dovewing and Squirrelflight pulled back from the nursery entrance, herding their kits backward with their tails with wide, terrified eyes.

Briarlight took a running start and leaped upward and over the smaller fox's tail, landing on its back and digging her claws into its pelt. Raking its spine with her hind legs, she clung onto its shoulder as it yelped and jumped up, barking in frustration. Finally, as her grip loosened with the strain, she flung herself off its back and landing with a wet splash on the muddy ground a few tail-lengths away. Whirling to face the fox, she bared her teeth and hissed, narrowing her eyes against the rain. But then Rosepetal bit down on the fox's tail, and it whipped around, yelping.

Feeling strangely tired - she suspected the kits - Briarlight withdrew to the shadows and glanced around for Snowpaw. She didn't see his white pelt anywhere in the clearing, so she assumed he was safe. About to catch her breath and head back into the battle, she suddenly noticed a flash of white in the corner of her eye. Snowpaw was creeping around halfrock, his eyes fixed on the nearest fox.

Quick as a snake, Briarlight darted to her apprentice and shoved him behind the shelter of a rocky crag. "What are you doing?" she hissed, shaking water from her fur. "I told you go to the apprentices' den!"

Snowpaw glared mutinously at his mentor. "I wanted to help fight!" he hissed.

Briarlight flicked her tail at the foxes, who were slowly being driven back by ThunderClan warriors. Crouching down to keep out of their site, she spat back to her apprentice, "You couldn't have helped! You have no training! Look at them! You would have been ripped apart."

"But I can-"

"Fight? No, you can't," Briarlight snapped. Then she sighed and glanced at the clearing again - the foxes were gone, but she could still hear yowls and hisses from outside the thorn tunnel. "I'll give you battle training tomorrow," she promised. "But never do something like this again."

Snowpaw frowned, but flicked his tail and grumbled, "All right." Then he turned and bounded toward the apprentices' den, his white pelt gray in the rain.

Briarlight rose to her paws and peered out into the clearing. The foxes had been driven off, and warriors were milling about, checking each other for injuries. Briarlight herself wasn't injured - just a wrenched paw where she had landed on it funny, and a shallow bite where the fox's teeth had caught slightly on the same paw. Raising her foreleg above the ground slightly, she limped across the clearing toward the medicine den. Mud caked her legs and rain still soaked her pelt. Feeling cold and dirty and miserable, Briarlight pushed through the bramble tunnel and joined Berrynose, Cinderheart, and Molestripe in the medicine clearing.

Jayfeather emerged from the cave, eyes narrowed against the storm. He glanced at the four cats assembled before him. "Is there anybody else?" he called over a rumble of thunder.

Molestripe glanced back toward the bramble tunnel. "No, I don't think-" Then he let out a strangled gasp. "Cherrywing!" He dashed forward, seeming to forget the blood that pulsed from a shoulder wound, and half-carried his sister in the clearing. The ginger she-cat had a nasty gash down her side with jagged edges and a steady pulse of blood clogging her fur, and Cherrywing's breath came in agonized gasps. Briarlight's eyes widened in horror. _The foxes did that to her?_

Jayfeather darted over to the ginger warrior, herbs clamped in his jaws. "We have to stop the bleeding," he ordered Briarlight. "Go get some cobwebs." As the brown she-cat darted into the stores, she could hear him continue, "Molestripe, lay her down carefully here … yes … and Berrynose, fetch her some water. Yes, you! Now go!"

Returning with cobwebs wrapped around her paw, she shook them off near Jayfeather's paws. As the medicine cat began to press the sticky tendrils on Cherrywing's fur, Briarlight whispered, "Will she be okay?"

Lightning flashed in the distance, a roll of thunder shaking the ground and sending a torrent of rain down on their fur.

"I'll try," Jayfeather meowed, and said nothing more, bowing his head against the downpour.

Heart pounding, Briarlight turned and surveyed the other cats. Molestripe had a wound on his shoulder, the end of Cinderheart's tail was ragged and clumped with blood, and Berrynose's flank was bleeding from three slashes. Quickly limping to the store, she chewed up some horsetail and applied to her paw. After wrapping it with cobwebs, she quickly snatched up more herbs in her jaws and hurried back out to the clearing. "All right," she meowed. "While Jayfeather is busy with Cherrywing, I want you the rest of you to come over here. I'll treat you."

Jayfeather shot her a grateful glance, then turned back to his patient.

Molestripe seemed reluctant to leave his littermate's side, but eventually stumbled over to Briarlight and sat down heavily in front of her. Cinderheart followed, and Berrynose came last. They looked uncertain, as if they didn't expect Briarlight to do a good job. Rolling her eyes, she began to chew up some horsetail. "I'm not totally clueless, you know," she said, spitting the poultice out. "I spent enough time in the medicine den to pick some stuff up."

The three cats shuffled their paws, but didn't protest.

Dabbing up a bit of the ointment with her paw, she jabbed it at Molestripe and said, "Lick that blood off." Then Briarlight turned to the other two warriors. "You, too."

Quickly, they groomed the blood from their pelt.

"Right," Briarlight mewed briskly, quickly hobbling over to Berrynose. She leaned down and sniffed the wound on his flank. It didn't seem infected, so she smeared the horsetail on it, then bound it with some cobwebs. "That should do it. Just don't do any border patrols for a few sunrises, and if you hunt, take it easy. Come back if it opens up again." Without waiting for an answer, she waved her tail to dismiss him and began inspecting Cinderheart's tail.

"Thanks," Berrynose grunted, and he padded away.

Briarlight flicked her ear in acknowledgement, shaking off the rainwater, then parted the fur at Cinderheart's tail-tip to see the injury. The skin was grazed and a bit of blood seeped out, but the flow had stopped and the wound wasn't that deep. Applying some horsetail to it, she nodded at the gray she-cat and meowed, "You can carry on with your regular duties."

After Cinderheart left, Briarlight was faced with Molestripe's shoulder wound. Out of the three cats, his wound was the worst, and it still bled lightly. Quickly dabbing at it with a paw of horsetail, she then bound it with some cobwebs, then sent him off with a warning not to work too hard.

Jayfeather had finished with Cherrywing, and the ginger she-cat was curled up near Briarlight's nest, her breathing ragged and her chest heaving up and down with unsteady breaths. At least she was sheltered by the moss and arching ferns from the rain. "Is she all right?" Briarlight murmured, wiping a bit of herb dust off her nose with her paw and cleaning her claws in a puddle.

With a sigh, Jayfeather gathered up the herbs and brought them back to the store. "We'll see when she wakes up tomorrow," he said, his voice muffled by the rock. "I did all I could, but I don't know …" He emerged from the cave and shook out his fur, glancing upward at the sky, blinking against the rain. The clouds covered the sky, but Briarlight could tell it was somewhere around dusk.

Shivering, Briarlight quickly cleaned the mud off her paws and found her nest, not caring that it was soaking wet. The ferns above her head created a sufficient cover from the storm, so she curled up tightly - instinctively touching her tail-tip to her belly protectively - and fell asleep.

When she awoke, the clouds were just breaking up and a weak sun penetrated the ferns above her head, shedding watery light on her fur. Briarlight's throat felt strangely dry, and her pelt was still cold even though the rain had stopped. Coughing, she stood up and stumbled out of her nest, blinking her eyes rapidly. "How's Cherrywing?" she rasped to Jayfeather, who was eating a mouse just outside the medicine cave.

Jayfeather flicked his tail at the ginger she-cat, who was still sleeping a few tail-lengths away. "I think she's going to make it," he meowed hopefully. Then he looked at Briarlight and narrowed his eyes. "Were you just coughing?"

Briarlight blinked. "Y-yes," she meowed hoarsely. Her throat still felt dry. Finding a puddle left by last night's storm, she stumbled over to it and lapped up a few drops. But even as she swallowed, she coughed up the water and fell shivering to the ground. "I'm so cold," she murmured, fluffing up her fur and closing her eyes.

A paw probed her fur. Briarlight looked up. It was Jayfeather, who was sniffing her pelt and feeling different parts of it with his paw. "You're hot and cold at the same time," he remarked, sounded worried. "And you're coughing. And … and you're abnormally thirsty." His eyes widened and he dashed out of the medicine den.

Briarlight raised her head weakly, coughing and watching the bramble tunnel for signs of Jayfeather's return. After a few moments, the thorns rustled and the silver medicine cat bounded into the clearing, followed by Leafpool. The tabby she-cat padded over to Briarlight and leaned down, sniffing Briarlight and prodding her with a white paw. A minute passed. Then Leafpool straightened upward and beckoned Jayfeather away with her tail. The two cats huddled close together near the cave and spoke in hushed tones. Briarlight strained her ears, trying to catch what they were saying, and she was just able to hear their last few words.

"So I was right?" Jayfeather choked out.

"Yes." Leafpool closed her eyes. "She has whitecough."

_No!_ Briarlight thought. _No, I can't have whitecough! I'm expecting kits!_

Jayfeather's head snapped around to look at her. "What?" he gasped.

_Fox dung! I forgot he could read minds._ Briarlight flattened her ears and looked down. "I-I'm expecting kits," she stammered, coughing.

"Great StarClan," Jayfeather growled, lashing his tail. He whipped around and spoke again to Leafpool, ears flattened and tail-tip twitching. Briarlight could tell that he was excited about the kits, but also worried and angry that she had whitecough at such an unfortunate time. Pricking her ears again to hear what Leafpool and Jayfeather were talking about, she managed to catch Leafpool's choked whisper.

"She's already weakened by the belly wound she received in the battle," Leafpool mewed sadly. "This whitecough is going to be very damaging. You're going to have to choose between saving her, or the kits. Only one of them can survive, and …" She looked up at Jayfeather. "To be honest, I don't think Briarlight's going to make it through the birth."


	15. Choices

**Chapter Fifteen**  
"No!" Jayfeather shouted, sounding strangled. He whirled around in a daze, claws unsheathed and tail lashing. "Is this a punishment, StarClan?" he wailed to the sky. "If you don't approve of this, at least let the kits and Briarlight live!" He flung himself to the ground near Briarlight, despair and anger crackling from his pelt.

"I'll be fine," Briarlight coughed. She remembered Silverstream's words. _If anything goes wrong, sacrifice the kits._ Was this what she was talking about? How could Briarlight choose between her own life and the life of her unborn kits? She would never forgive herself if she let her own kin die so selfishly. "I'll be fine," she repeated.

"Yes, you will," Jayfeather growled. "I'm going to treat this whitecough and you're going to live, as well as our kits." He stomped into the medicine cave. "Leafpool, help me."

The tabby she-cat bounded after him.

As Briarlight waited for the two cats to reappear, she debated what she would do if she was faced with the choice between her life and her kits'. She couldn't be so selfish as to sacrifice tiny lives just to save her own, and she had already lived her life. She had become an apprentice, a warrior, a mate, a mother … wouldn't it be better to let her kits have a chance at being warriors? Briarlight had lived a life, and the kits would never have a chance to. What was the better choice? _If anything goes wrong, I'm going to save the kits,_ she thought.

Jayfeather reappeared with herbs clamped in his jaws, Leafpool trailing behind him with a moss ball full of water. The medicine cat spat out the leaves when he neared Briarlight, and began sorting the herbs. Just as he picked up a leaf in his claw, a weak groan came from a few tail-lengths away.

Leafpool glanced over at the ginger warrior that had just woken up. "Jayfeather, you keep treating Briarlight. I'll see to Cherrywing." She darted over to her and began sniffing the wound.

"Here," Jayfeather meowed, handing Briarlight a few fuzzy leaves. "Borage for the fever. Chew."

Briarlight leaned forward and lapped up the leaves, chewing and swallowing them with a grimace and a cough. Shivering, she curled even tighter around herself and wrapped her tail around her paws. The herb sat in her stomach and made her feel queasy. Her head spinning, Briarlight lurched to her paws and staggered to a nearby fern, just making it there before she crumpled to the ground and vomited up the borage. Drawing in rattling, rasping gasps, she stumbled back to her nest and collapsed into it, her legs splayed around her.

Jayfeather's fur bristled. "I … this isn't good," he murmured, whirling around and dashing into the medicine cave. Worry and horror rolled from his fur. Briarlight closed her eyes.

Then a scent wafted over her nostrils that was hauntingly familiar. Briarlight glanced at Jayfeather, and he was holding a few sweet-smelling leaves in his jaws. _Catmint?_ Briarlight remembered the scent from when she had greencough as a kit. "D-do I have greencough now?" she rasped.

"No," Jayfeather meowed, dropping the leaves. "But catmint can be used for whitecough too."

"B-but …" Briarlight protested. "I can't take that! What if another cat needs it?"

"No cat in ThunderClan has greencough," Jayfeather growled.

"Jayfeather, I'm not special. You never treated any other whitecough patient with catmint and I shouldn't be any different," Briarlight coughed. "J-just use tansy or … or something else."

"You _are_ special," Jayfeather said hotly. "You're my mate, you're expecting kits, and you've already been weakened by your belly wound. If there was ever a time to use catmint to treat whitecough, then it's now."

Briarlight fell silent.

"Just eat it," Jayfeather sighed. He pushed the leaves toward her.

Reluctantly, Briarlight leaned forward and ate the herbs, chewing and swallowing with a guilty cough. She would never forgive herself if another cat came down with greencough and they didn't have catmint because Jayfeather had used it on her. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she ran her tongue over her lips and swallowed the last bits of the herb.

She waited for a few moments.

The catmint didn't make her feel sick, so she settled back down and drank a bit from Leafpool's moss ball. The water was cold, trickling down her throat and making her cough, but at least she didn't retch it back up. _That's a good sign,_ she thought. _At least I'm not getting worse._

Jayfeather returned with yet more herbs. "Coltsfoot," he explained. "To help with your breathing. Feverfew for the fever, juniper berries for the bellyache, honey for the breathing and your sore throat, and tansy for the cough."

Briarlight felt a twinge of amusement despite her condition. "Don't you think you're overdoing this a little bit?" she rasped.

"Not at all," Jayfeather shot back. "Now, first the coltsfoot …"

Eventually Briarlight got Jayfeather to leave out the honey and the juniper berries, but she willingly at the coltsfoot, feverfew, and tansy. After she swallowed the three herbs, she drank a bit of water to get rid of the taste, then settled down and refused to eat any more herbs. Coughing, she curled her tail around her belly and closed her eyes, and a few moments later she had fallen into a deep sleep. Once again she found herself atop the hill where she always met Silverstream.

But this time the silver she-cat looked absolutely furious. "I told you!" she shouted. "Sacrifice the kits if anything goes wrong! And you've decided to sacrifice yourself?" She hissed and stepped forward. "You can't do this to Jayfeather. You have to live!"

Briarlight flattened her ears. "B-but …"

"You must live," Silverstream growled. "If you have a choice between your kits' lives and your own, choose your own. Do you understand?"

"Why?" Briarlight wailed. "Why can't we both live? Do you know what's going to happen?"

Silverstream fell silent and stepped back. "I-I can't tell you that," she muttered, sounding much more timid than before.

Briarlight felt a stab of foreboding. "One of us is going to die," she guessed.

"I never said that!" Silverstream spat, eyes blazing. "I … I just can't …" She trailed off. "It's not in the paws of StarClan to tell you the future. You must live it yourself."

"I just want to know if I'm going to live," Briarlight pleaded.

Silverstream's eyes closed briefly. "Jayfeather will be heartbroken in one way or another," she meowed. "That is all I can tell you."

"So I am going to die?" Briarlight mewed sadly.

"I don't know," Silverstream hissed. "But I can see sadness and grief in Jayfeather's future, whether or not it is because of your death or your kits'. For all I know it could be Lionblaze's death or Jayfeather's future apprentice's death or …" She sighed. "I can't tell you anything."

Briarlight sat down heavily. "So StarClan can't see everything."

"StarClan can see enough," Silverstream murmured. "We can see enough that we know that Jayfeather loves you with all his heart, and it would rip him apart if he lost you. That is why you must save your own life rather than the kits'."

Briarlight stared at the silver she-cat, speechless.

"There may be a chance that both you and your kits can live," Silverstream added. "But if that doesn't happen, you must be the one to survive."

"But-"

"Look, Briarlight," Silverstream sighed. "Please. I'm doing this only for your and Jayfeather's happiness. It is for the good of both of you. Listen, if there's only one thing that you'll ever do for me, let it be this. Please."

Briarlight shook her head slowly. "Why … why do you care so much?"

"You are Graystripe's daughter," Silverstream said quietly. "I need no other reason."

"But I'm also Millie's daughter," Briarlight pointed out. "Aren't you mad at her for taking Graystripe away from you?"

"There was no cat to take away him away from," Silverstream mewed. "I'm dead, and Millie saved his life. He loves her. I know that he does and always will care for me, but he has a new mate and I respect that. And … I want to help you. Please understand that."

Briarlight briefly closed her eyes. "I do understand," she assured her. "But what I can't say is … I can't promise that I'll give up my kits' life for mine. It's my choice, and I want you to respect that."

Silverstream stared at Briarlight, either impressed or infuriated by Briarlight's bold declaration.

"Thank you for caring so much," Briarlight mewed. "But this is my time to care for myself."

For a moment Silverstream stared at the brown she-cat, motionless and silent. Emotion crackled in the air between them - fear, sadness, caring, anger … then she simply flicked her tail, turned around, and whisked away into the shadows. The grass of the hill darkened and melted together and then became the ferns enclosing Briarlight's nest in the medicine den.

She yawned and stretched, shivering in the morning sun. Her throat still felt dry and her ears burned with fever, but her fur had returned to a normal temperature and her bellyache had disappeared. Coughing lightly, Briarlight raised her head and looked around for Jayfeather. The silver medicine cat was dabbing horsetail on Cherrywing's wound. "How is she?" Briarlight asked hoarsely.

Jayfeather flicked his ears upward. "She'll live," he mewed happily. Then he turned to Briarlight, his voice suddenly nervous. "And how do you feel?"

"Better," Briarlight coughed. "Can I go out and get some fresh-kill?"

Cherrywing stretched out and pushed a mouse toward Briarlight. "I got this for you," she meowed. "Here, have it."

Briarlight leaned forward and took a few bites out of the mouse. "So you're feeling healthy enough to go out into the clearing to fetch fresh-kill?" she inquired.

"Jayfeather's a good medicine cat," was all Cherrywing said. Then she curled back into her nest and fell back into a rhythmic sleep.

Said medicine cat was looking very nervous. Briarlight glanced over at him. "What's wrong?" she mewed.

"Uh …" Jayfeather shuffled his paws. "I need to, uh … check on your … um …"

Briarlight tilted her head, confused. Then suddenly, like a flash of light, she understood. "Oh!" Shifting her body so that she was stretched out on her side, she tucked her paws under her chest and curled her tail away from her body. Jayfeather gave her an awkward nod and stepped forward, leaning down and placing a paw on her belly.

"This feels so weird," Jayfeather grunted. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"Doing what?"

"When I check on a queen's kits … I never thought I'd be doing it to my own mate or to my own kits," he sighed. "It's such a big thing. I can't believe I'm going to be a father."

Briarlight blinked up at him. "You _are_ excited, aren't you?" Suddenly she was the one who felt nervous - what if she was wrong, and Jayfeather didn't approve of the kits after all? But then she looked up at him, and she saw that his eyes were glittering.

"Of course I am," Jayfeather reassured her. "I'm just … overwhelmed. Surprised. Nervous." He shrugged. "It's a-"

"Hey, Jayfeather," Lionblaze called, poking his head into the medicine clearing. "Can I talk to Briarlight for a second?"

Jayfeather looked up. "Um … I don't know. Do you think you can stand up and walk, Briarlight?" he asked his mate.

"Let's see," she grunted. Briarlight heaved herself to her paws and stood unsteadily on her paws. Her legs shook a bit and she stumbled when she took a step, but she was able to stay up and didn't fall over. Staggering toward Lionblaze, she flicked her tail and beckoned him toward a clump of ferns near the bramble tunnel. Jayfeather retreated into the medicine cave as his mate and his brother sat down.

"What is it?" Briarlight rasped, curling her tail over her paws.

Lionblaze's voice was steady but cold when he meowed, "Do you know what you are doing?"

Surprised, Briarlight blinked. "Wh-what do you mean?"

The golden warrior's shoulders shook with barely suppressed rage. "You're expecting a medicine cat's kits!" he hissed. "That goes against everything that the Clans stand for. How could you possibly do this?"

Briarlight flattened her ears. "The warrior code-"

"And you changed the warrior code!" Lionblaze spat. "That's even worse - changing something that the Clans have lived by for countless seasons." He shook his head and lashed his tail. "I can't believe my brother actually fell in love with _you."_

Suddenly a new voice spoke. "And what's wrong with that?"

Jayfeather stepped in front of Briarlight, fur bristling along his spine and claws unsheathed, his eyes burning with anger. "How can you say that?" he spat. "You're my brother, for StarClan's sake, these kits will be your kin!" He shook his head. "I thought you respected the fact that I loved Briarlight. Why are you doing this?"

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. "You're right. I do respect the fact that you love Briarlight. But I don't respect that fact that you two are now going to have kits!" He shook his head in disgust.

The silver medicine cat hissed and stepped forward, shoving his muzzle in his brother's face. "Listen," he growled. "Whether you like it or not, Briarlight and I _will_ be mates, and she _will _have kits, and you can't do anything about it. I can't believe you." He clawed angrily at the ferns beneath his paws. "Attacking an expectant queen sick with whitecough."

"I never attacked-"

"It was close enough," Jayfeather spat. "Get out."

Lionblaze narrowed his eyes. "You don't know what you're doing, Jayfeather."

"Get out," Jayfeather repeated furiously.

"Fine." Lionblaze stood up abruptly and snapped around, storming to the bramble tunnel. When he reached it, he stopped for a second, turned his head around, and growled, "Nothing good is going to out of this, trust me," before pushing his way through the bramble tunnel and into the clearing.

Briarlight caught her breath, not realizing that she had been holding it throughout the brothers' argument. "Jayfeather, you didn't have to-"

"I'm going to collect borage. And chervil," Jayfeather said briskly. "Watch Cherrywing for me." Without another word, he swept out through the bramble tunnel, and left Briarlight alone in the clearing.

Borage and chervil were herbs used during kit-birth.

Shaking her head, Briarlight struggled to her paws and staggered back to her nest. Cherrywing was still asleep, so she collapsed in the moss hollow and curled up, tucking her nose under her tail and shutting her eyes. Her heart was pounding and her mind was whirling.

Lionblaze's reaction to Briarlight's kits only made her feel worse. What if the entire Clan thought like that? What if all _three_ Clans felt that way? She couldn't bear it if every warrior shunned her because of the fact that she was expecting Jayfeather's kits. Briarlight gave an involuntary sniffle.

Then her eyes hardened. Nobody had the right to make her feel that way, because the warrior code allowed medicine cats to have mates and kits now. She raised her head and glanced at the bramble tunnel. There was only one way to find out what the others felt like. She would have to go into the clearing, and talk to the Clan.

Taking a deep breath, Briarlight tucked all four of her paws under her body, then pushed herself upward. Stumbling slightly, she finished the mouse from before and bent down for a drink at a puddle. Refreshed, she flicked her ears and tail, and started out through the bramble tunnel. For a moment she paused at the edge of the clearing, heart pounding. Suddenly feeling skeptical, she thought, _I can't do this! What if the Clan is angry? What if they don't approve?_

But then she remembered Jayfeather's blue eyes, and his determined voice, and his silver fur … and she stepped forward into the clearing.


	16. Reaction and Talk

**I feel so bad. :U**

**This chapter is extremely rushed because I realized I was taking way too long to write it, and that I shouldn't make you guys wait any longer. ;u; So I just threw a bunch of crap on the page and hoped for the best. Excuse any bad writing.**

**If you can guess what Lionblaze is doing at the end of the chapter, you get choose – well, I can't tell you what you get to choose or else I'd give away the answer. :U But it's a prize.**

**Sooooo, on with the chapter. :'D**

**(And tell me, I was thinking about having a chapter from Jayjay's POV. What do you think?)**

**Chapter Sixteen**  
It was in the middle of the morning, so most cats were out patrolling or hunting. Even so, Briarlight stopped after taking that first step and looked around. Rosepetal and Hazeltail were sharing tongues near the warriors' den, Dewpaw and Seedpaw were practicing battle moves with Snowpaw, and Poppyfrost, Icecloud, and Cinderheart were sunning themselves by halfrock while Dovewing and Squirrelflight played with their kits. At least Toadstep was out - she really wasn't in the mood to deal with him right now.

The first cat to notice her was Seedpaw. He stopped mid-leap and fell to the ground. "Hey, Briarlight!" he called. "Snowpaw, your mentor's back!"

Snowpaw skidded to a halt, perking up. "Hi, Briarlight!" he mewed. "Can we go training?"

Briarlight blinked. "Am I still your mentor?" she rasped.

Dovewing hurried over to Briarlight, eyes shining. "You're expecting kits!" she exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"What?" Poppyfrost shot to her paws. "Expecting kits?" She dashed over to Briarlight and poked her in the side. "Is Jayfeather the father?"

Pelt burning with embarrassment, Briarlight instinctively shrank into herself. "Y-yes," she mewed. "And … and I don't think I'll be able to mentor you anymore, Snowpaw," she added to her apprentice. "Because … you know … I have whitecough and …"

Snowpaw drooped. "Awww," he complained. "But you're a _fun _mentor!"

"I'm sure Bramblestar will find another mentor just as fun," Briarlight coughed, leaning into Poppyfrost for support. The tortoiseshell warrior touched the brown she-cat's flank with her tail sympathetically.

"Of course I will," Bramblestar meowed, padding up behind Briarlight.

Surprised, the brown she-cat turned around to face her leader. "I-I … Bramblestar! I d-didn't see you there," she stammered.

Bramblestar dipped his head to her and flicked his tail at Briarlight's belly. "So is that way you said you couldn't be a mentor?" he asked.

"Y-yes," Briarlight replied, heart pounding. Did Bramblestar disapprove? She'd never live it down if her leader thought badly of her because of her unborn kits. But the tabby tom didn't look angry. In fact, he looked faintly amused.

"Congratulations," he meowed. Then he turned to Squirrelflight, and padded over to her to play with his kits.

Briarlight let out a sigh of relief, and turned to face the rest of the Clan. They all had expressions on their faces that ranged from pride to amusement to uncertainty, but at least none of them were outright angry about it - _like Lionblaze,_ Briarlight thought bitterly. As an apprentice, she had always admired the golden warrior. For him to be so distraught over his brother having kits with Briarlight was a cruel blow.

But at least the rest of the Clan - or the cats that were in the clearing at the moment - didn't disapprove. She would just have to wait for the rest of the Clan to return from their patrols and see what they thought. Briarlight sent a silent prayer up to StarClan. _Please let my Clan be happy for me instead of angry,_ she begged.

"How do you feel?" Poppyfrost murmured into Briarlight's ear.

Briarlight shivered. "Better than yesterday," she rasped.

"I'm glad to hear it," Poppyfrost purred. Then her eyes hardened and she nudged Briarlight toward the medicine den. "You should be resting! Think of your kits."

"N-no, I can't," Briarlight protested. She had to wait in the clearing for the other cats to return, or she would never know what they thought of her. "I'll just … sit on halfrock," she suggested, and hobbled toward the sun-baked stone. Poppyfrost shrugged and padded alongside her, helping her up onto the rock and sitting down next to her when she got up onto its surface.

At sunhigh, Jayfeather returned from collecting herbs. He had barely taken a step into the clearing before Cinderheart, Icecloud, Rosepetal, Hazeltail, and the apprentices crowded around him, congratulating him on his kits. The silver medicine cat looked ruffled when he finally pushed free of the crowd, and he tasted the air, looking for Briarlight. When he found her, he turned his blind gaze on her as if to ask, _What did you tell them? _The brown she-cat just basked in the sunlight, purring at the warmth on her fur, not seeming to notice her mate's irritated gaze.

Jayfeather disappeared into the medicine den for a second to put away his herbs, then reappeared. He paused for a moment just outside the bramble tunnel, then located Briarlight and bounded across the clearing toward her. As soon as he was close to her, Jayfeather leaned forward and hissed, "Why did you tell everybody?"

"They were going to find out eventually," Briarlight mewed, stretching out on her back and letting the leaf-fall sun touch her belly fur. She purred and wriggled happily, closing her eyes in a strangely sudden bliss.

A sort of choked, sputtering silence came from Jayfeather. Briarlight opened a single eye and peered at him. He had a strained expression on his face, as if he were holding in dirt. Then he gave a grumbling sigh, and hopped up onto halfrock next to the brown she-cat. After a moment of pause, he lay down next to Briarlight and grunted, staring off blindly into the distance. Briarlight gave a little _mrrow_ of amusement and wriggled into his side. Jayfeather rolled his eyes and leaned his head on hers, eventually giving in and shutting his eyes in happiness.

"You should be resting," Jayfeather mumbled.

"I am," Briarlight purred back.

Jayfeather's whiskers twitched as he wound his tail around her belly protectively. "I should be giving you herbs," he meowed.

"I feel fine," Briarlight rasped. "My throat hurts, that's all."

Jayfeather sighed. "All right. But I'll give you some honey before you go to sleep, okay?"

Briarlight waved her tail. "Whatever you say."

Then they both fell silent. It was past sunhigh and the sun was very slowly sinking toward the horizon, but neither Lionblaze nor Toadstep had returned yet. Briarlight closed her eyes, pushing the thought out of her head, and let herself bask in both the light of the setting sun and the warmth from Jayfeather's pelt. She felt something move in her belly and she gave a little purr.

"So how long until they're due?" she asked Jayfeather.

"One moon," he replied.

Briarlight sighed and glanced at the thorn tunnel. Many cats had returned, but Lionblaze and Toadstep still hadn't. She was both dreading and anticipating their appearance - she wanted to talk to them about the whole kit thing, but she wasn't exactly excited to see the two cats that disapproved of her most.

Just as she thought this, Toadstep emerged into the clearing, a mouse clamped in his jaws. He set it down on the fresh-kill pile and looked around the camp. When his eyes landed on Briarlight and Jayfeather, his eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back in disgust. Quickly the brown she-cat rolled away from Jayfeather and sprang to her paws, leaping down from the halfrock and padding as fast as an expectant queen can toward Toadstep.

"Where are you going?" Jayfeather meowed after her.

"Stay there," Briarlight called. "I need to do something. Alone."

Toadstep bristled as Briarlight neared him, eyes flashing. Heart thumping, she took a deep breath and meowed, "Listen, I need to talk to you …"

The black-and-white warrior hissed. "I don't think we need to talk at all."

Briarlight dug her claws into the ground. "Listen, if we never talk then we'll never solve anything! Why won't you just listen to me for a minute? Please! Just hear me out!"

Toadstep unsheathed his own claws and scraped them against the dirt. "Fine," he spat, probably startled into submission by Briarlight's sharp tone. "But make it quick."

Flicking her tail toward a patch of brambles, Briarlight meowed, "Over there. I don't want the entire Clan to hear us talking."

"Fine," Toadstep grunted again, and stormed over to the brambles. Briarlight closed her eyes briefly, gathered up her courage, and followed the black-and-white warrior to the thorny bush. He sat down abruptly and curled his tail over his paws. "Okay, talk."

Briarlight took a deep breath. "I want to know why you're so opposed to me and Jayfeather."

Toadstep stared at her. "Isn't that obvious? Because you broke the warrior code-"

"No I didn't," Briarlight interrupted.

Toadstep growled. "Okay, so maybe you changed the code and you're _allowed_ to have kits now. But it's still not right! I can't put it into words, but …"

Briarlight dug her claws into the ground. "Toadstep, do you love anyone?"

The black-and-white warrior stopped, startled. "What?"

"Is there any cat that makes you feel happier than any other?" she meowed. "A cat that makes your heart speed up at the sight of her? Do you know what it's like to be in love?"

Toadstep gazed at her, eyes wide. He glanced at the clearing where most of the Clan was sitting. "Y-yes," he stammered. "But that's different!"

"Is it?" Briarlight sighed. "If that cat was a medicine cat, would it stop you from falling in love with her? Would you still want to be with her?"

"I-" Toadstep sputtered.

"I thought so." Briarlight stood up. "So think again before you criticize me. I love Jayfeather just as much as you love your she-cat, and I want you to understand that. Just because the father of these kits is a medicine cat doesn't mean they shouldn't be born."

Toadstep closed his eyes. "All right," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

Briarlight nodded. "Thank you." Then she flicked her tail, and bounded away toward where Jayfeather was waiting on halfrock.

The silver medicine cat peered at her curiously. "What were you doing over there?"

"We discussed a few things," Briarlight grunted as she pulled herself up onto the rock. Jayfeather grabbed her scruff in his teeth and heaved her body onto the rock, claws scrabbling for a grip. Pulling herself up, Briarlight gave a puff of exasperation and flopped onto her belly.

"With Toadstep?" Jayfeather meowed as she settled herself down.

"Yes," Briarlight mewed. "We … cleared the air."

Jayfeather stretched. "So … he's not … angry at you anymore?"

Briarlight shrugged. "I don't think so."

Then she grew worried again. The sun was sinking below the trees, and Jayfeather left to go attend to his medicine cat duties - but Lionblaze still hadn't returned. She wondered vaguely what in StarClan he could be doing out there that took so long. Then Briarlight realized that Cinderheart wasn't in the clearing either. She immediately pushed the thought out of her mind. If she was right, then Lionblaze wouldn't be back until the next day.

So, having no other reason to wait, Briarlight got to her paws and stretched, hopping down from the halfrock and padding across the clearing toward the medicine den. And since the author of this fanfiction can't find a better place to end this chapter, let's just end it now.


	17. Unexpected

**I think we all know what Lionblaze and Cinderheart were doing out in the forest. :U**

**So all of you, submit a name for one of Cinderheart's kits and I'll choose a few of them to put in the story.**

**Anyway, this chapter is considerably shorter than the others, but I had to stop it where I had to stop it – I couldn't keep going because you know, suspense and all. ;u; I just want your opinion – should the next chapter be in Jayjay's POV or Briarlight's? You'll understand when you read the chapter. :P If It's in Jayfeather's POV then it will probably be the only chapter that is.**

**Oh, and here are some review responses (I gotta do this more often):**

**DarkStorm: I can't tell you the answer to that. :U Which means it could or could not be true. –shifty eyes– **

**Bookworm290: Gosh I love you. :'D Do I really not take that long? I feel guilty every time I take more than two days to update. :U**

**On the topic of updating, I wanted to share with you guys a little tidbit of info. I have a system of updating – since I have two fanfics going on right now, I alternate days for updating them. So on Monday I update this one, and on Tuesday I update the other, leaving one day between updates for me to actually write the chapter. :3 Weekends I don't update at all (I do occasionally though), so if this information explains any erratic chapter updates then … yeah. Just thought you guys might want to know. xD**

**Right. Oh, and, I put a bit of humor in this chapter. And a bit of romance. Okay, more than a **_**bit**_** of romance, but whatever. Same difference. Enjoy and review! :'D**

**(Wow. This A/N is the longest I've ever written. -3-)**

**Chapter Seventeen**  
Briarlight felt fat. Very fat.

In fact, she was fat. She was only a half moon from kitting and she felt _enormous._

Jayfeather seemed to be indifferent about this, saying only, "It's normal for queens to be big when they're close to kitting. There are _kits_ inside you." Then he laid a paw on Briarlight's belly and tilted his head. "And you have _four_ of them."

At least the whitecough had left her, and she was able to growl back at him without coughing in the process.

Briarlight had refused to move to the nursery - not yet, at least - so she was sitting outside the warriors' den when Bramblestar called a Clan meeting. Or, well, she was _trying_ to sit. Her swollen belly made it hard for her not to sit without having to poke her forelegs forward.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather hear beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled.

_Fox dung._ _Here we go again. _Briarlight heaved herself to her paws and waddled slowly forward, trying not to swerve from side to side with the swaying of her belly. Jayfeather was at her side in an instant, letting her lean her body on his, and guided her toward the middle of the clearing. Awkwardly she slid her forelegs forward and lowered her hindquarters slowly to the ground before thumping unceremoniously into a sprawled sort of sitting position.

"I hate these kits," Briarlight grunted. "They made me fat."

"I know you don't _really_ hate them," was all Jayfeather said. Strangely now it was _him_ that was cheerful and _Briarlight_ that was grouchy. It was as if their personalities had switched.

"Listen, you-" Briarlight started, but then Bramblestar began speaking and she quickly shut up.

"Today, two ThunderClan kits have reached their sixth moons," the tabby leader meowed. "Featherkit and Leafkit, would you please step forward?"

The silver tabby she-kit and her darker gray littermate stepped forward, eyes shining despite their trembling paws. Dovewing, who sat a few tail-lengths away, leaned into Bumblestripe and gave a proud purr.

"Featherkit," Bramblestar called. The silver kit looked up at him, eyes wide. "From this day forward, you will be known as Featherpaw." He glanced around the clearing before his gaze landed on his former apprentice. "Your mentor will be Berrynose. I hope he passes on all that I taught to him to you."

The newly-named Featherpaw turned around and padded to her new mentor, touching noses with the cream tom before sitting down next to him, tail wiggling in excitement.

"Leafkit." Bramblestar beckoned the gray kit forward. "From this day forward you will be known as Leafpaw." He swept his gaze around the clearing. "Your mentor will be Blossomfall. I hope she passes on her courage and quick thinking to you."

Eyes wide, Leafpaw slowly turned and stared at the tortoiseshell she-cat. Blossomfall stared back, twitching her ear expectantly. Leafpaw didn't move. After a few heartbeats of awkward silence, Dovewing dashed out into the clearing and prodded her son toward his new mentor, and finally the gray apprentice touched his nose to Blossomfall's.

"Leafpaw! Featherpaw!"

The calls died down, and the two littermates immediately began bouncing around their mentors as cats dispersed. Briarlight reached up and dug her claws into Jayfeather's shoulders, using him to haul herself to her paws. Eventually she dropped heavily to all fours and shook out her fur in satisfaction, but the silver medicine cat was still purring with laughter.

"Shut up," Briarlight grunted.

"But it's just so-" Jayfeather began.

"Shut up!" Briarlight growled.

Jayfeather fell silent but a few _mrrow_s of laughter still shook his shoulders.

Ignoring the silver medicine cat, Briarlight turned around and tried to walk back toward the fresh-kill pile. But she hadn't even waddled a tail-length before Jayfeather shot in front of her, barring her way. Briarlight tilted her head up to look at him. "What?" she grunted.

"You should move to the nursery now," Jayfeather meowed, suddenly sounding serious. "It's dangerous for you to continue your warrior duties so close to kitting." Then he stopped and held in a laugh, choking out, "As if you can with that belly."

Briarlight glared at him. "Hey! These are your kits too!"

Immediately Jayfeather sobered up and looked down at her with very somber eyes. "Which is why you should go to the nursery," he said firmly. "The reason why I didn't want you to move there before was because it would have been too crowded in there. But now that Dovewing is out of the nursery, there's more room for you. So as your medicine cat I'm ordering you to go to the nursery."

The brown she-cat dug her claws into the ground, bristling. "But I don't want to move to the nursery!"

Jayfeather hissed. "You have to!" he insisted. "I told you, it's dangerous-"

"But I can-"

"No!" Jayfeather snapped. He loomed over her until Briarlight had to crane her neck upward to look into his eyes. She crouched instinctively, fur flattening along her spine. "Would you just listen to me for a moment? It's only a half moon from your kitting so you have to move to the nursery! Okay?"

Briarlight's eyes widened. "Okay," she whispered.

"Good." Jayfeather turned away and padded to the fresh-kill pile. "I'll get you a mouse."

The brown she-cat said nothing, only turned her head away from him and padded heavily toward the nursery. Daisy greeted her when she pushed her way inside, and waved the brown queen over to a nest in the corner of the bush. Briarlight gave her a dazed nod of thanks, scooted past where Squirrelflight was nursing her three kits, and settled herself down into the moss nest. As she waited for Jayfeather, Briarlight curled up around her belly, facing the corner. Her back was all anybody in the nursery could see, and she dug her nose under her paws, careful not to disturb her belly.

A few heartbeats later, Jayfeather's scent wafted over her. Briarlight didn't move, only curled up into a tighter ball. Soft pawsteps scuffed the ground as the medicine cat neared her. Then a quiet thump as he dropped his mouse.

"Briarlight?" Jayfeather said in a hushed voice.

The brown she-cat shut her eyes and refused to answer.

There was a bit more scuffling, then Briarlight could hear Jayfeather picking up the mouse and walking around to her other side, squeezing past the nursery wall until he was on the side of Briarlight where her face was. He crouched down and let the mouse drop from his jaws. "I brought you a mouse."

Slowly Briarlight reached out a paw and dragged the mouse toward her. Then she let it flop to a halt a few kittensteps from her mouth, and pulled her paw back under her chest.

Jayfeather sighed and shuffled forward, pushing his nose into Briarlight's fur. "I'm sorry I snapped at you," he murmured. "I was just worried about you. You know that, don't you?"

Briarlight said nothing.

Daisy and Squirrelflight slowly drew away toward the other end of the nursery, sensing that Jayfeather and Briarlight needed a bit of alone time. Stormkit, Thrushkit, and Sagekit followed their mother, eyes wide. They didn't understand why they had to leave Briarlight alone, but they did it anyway.

Jayfeather drew a bit closer to Briarlight until his breath ruffled her neck fur. "Did I … hurt you?" he asked worriedly. "Or …" He trailed off and stroked her flank with his tail.

"I was scared," Briarlight mewed, still not opening her eyes.

The silver medicine cat laid his head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you'd move to the nursery. I really was worried about you. It's not safe for you to continue warrior duties so close to kitting. You understand that, don't you? Especially since you were my assistant for so long?"

Briarlight took a few moments to respond. When she finally did, all she asked was, "Am I still your assistant?"

Jayfeather let out a gusty sigh, ruffling Briarlight's fur. "Only if you want to be," he meowed. "At the moment all I want you to be is my mate."

There was silence for a while. All that could be heard was Briarlight and Jayfeather's breathing and the scuffling of Squirrelflight's kits on the other side of the nursery. Then, without warning, Briarlight let out a purr. She opened her eyes to look lovingly at Jayfeather and the silver medicine cat thought he had never been so relieved to see her beautiful amber eyes.

Suddenly the brown she-cat let out a gasp and squirmed away from Jayfeather. She dug her claws into the ground and shut her eyes, mouth wide open in a wail. "It hurts!" she screeched.

Jayfeather leaped to his paws while Daisy and Squirrelflight herded the kits out into the clearing. "Are the kits coming?" he asked, shouting over Briarlight's howls of pain.

"What do you think?" she screeched, eyes wild with either anger or agony.

The silver medicine cat dashed out of the medicine den. "I'll get Leafpool!"

"Leafpool?" Briarlight yowled after him. "But you're a medicine cat, for StarClan's sake!"

There was no answer.

Hissing, the brown she-cat managed to arrange her body into a less awkward position, and propped up her chest with her forepaws. The nagging annoyance that she had been feeling over the past half moon was nothing compared to the excruciating pain she felt at that moment. Vaguely she wondered how Ferncloud could have done this, what, four times? She shook the thought from her head just as a contraction shuddered her body. Wailing, she clawed up the moss beneath her body and send pieces of it scattering across the nursery floor.

Leafpool appeared, herbs clamped in her jaws and a wild expression in her eyes. She quickly darted over to Briarlight and dropped the herbs, panting as if she had run through the entire forest to get to the nursery. "Just hold on," she soothed Briarlight. "You're going to be fine."

"Where's Jayfeather?" Briarlight rasped, paws trembling as her belly clenched again.

"He, uh, fainted," Leafpool meowed awkwardly. "Sorreltail's trying to wake him up."

_I'm not surprised,_ Briarlight thought ruefully. As another contraction shook her body, she bit back a wail and settled herself down for what would probably be the longest night of her life.


	18. Night and Day

**Wow. I just realized that this fanfic was added to the community "The Best Stories I've Read Ever" by TheHelper3440. That really means a lot to me. :'D Thanks!**

**Anyway, I've decided on CinderxLion's kits' names, but I won't be revealing that yet. Not until the kits are actually born. :U **

**I also have a question for you. I want to keep writing this fanfic, but I don't want this to go on for too long. So, I'm asking you – how many chapters should I write? Should I stop at 30 chapters? 50? 100? Whatever you guys want. :P I can think up some good content for the rest of the chapters, it just depends on what you people prefer.**

**Anyway, I recommend you brace yourself before reading this chapter. It's … interesting. In a good way.**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Chapter Eighteen**  
Jayfeather stirred, blinking his eyes open. He could scent Sorreltail leaning over him, her paw prodding his side. When she noticed that he was awake, the she-cat gave a sigh of relief and began poking Jayfeather to his paws. "Great StarClan," she muttered. "Even Brackenfur wasn't this scared when I started kitting."

"Kitting?" Jayfeather murmured, sounding dazed. Then he remembered. Kitting! Briarlight was having his kits! He let out a gasp and dug his claws into the ground. "What do I do?"

Sorreltail gave a snort. "You're the medicine cat. You should know what to do."

_Great StarClan. Briarlight is kitting. _Jayfeather felt dizzy and he began to sway on his paws. His mind spun and he began to feel tired … everything was spiraling into darkness ...

A paw slapped him across the face. "Jayfeather!" Sorreltail snapped. "You're not going to faint on me again, are you? Your mate needs you!"

At that moment, a loud wail rose up from the nursery. This only served to send Jayfeather into a deeper state of panic. "Who's with her?" he screeched at Sorreltail.

"Leafpool," the tortoiseshell she-cat replied, unfazed by his loud exclamation.

_Oh, right._ Jayfeather vaguely remembered howling, "Briarlight!" at Leafpool before passing out. Great StarClan. Just how much had he embarrassed himself over the past few minutes?

"How long has she been kitting for?" Jayfeather asked awkwardly.

"She started at dusk. It's almost moonhigh now."

"Right." Jayfeather forced his fur to lie flat and marched confidently toward the nursery. "I can do this. I'm a medicine cat!"

Then he stepped into the bush.

Jayfeather could tell by where her scent pooled that she was at the other end of the nursery. Her wails of pain were sharp and strained, almost as if it took all of her energy even to make a sound. A scent wafted from her that was hauntingly familiar to Jayfeather - it was the scent of a dying cat. It was as he had feared. What with the whitecough and the belly wound and everything, Briarlight had very little chance of surviving the birth, no matter how hard Jayfeather had wished the opposite. A jolt of grief and horror shook him.

He could scent Leafpool near the brown she-cat, murmuring instructions to her. Briarlight let out a wail - which, making Jayfeather's heart pound, sounded much quieter and weaker than before - as she noticed Jayfeather at the nursery entrance.

"J-Jay-"

The silver medicine cat flew across the nursery and landed next to Briarlight's head. He tucked his paws under his chest and pressed his nose to her head. "You're going to fine," he said angrily. "Right, Leafpool?"

The tabby warrior said nothing. Then, suddenly, "Oh! Here comes the first one!"

Briarlight screeched as her belly heaved, and a few moments later Jayfeather heard something drop onto the moss. Jayfeather snatched it away before Leafpool could touch it, and began licking the newborn kit frantically. Anything to distract him from Briarlight's condition.

Eventually the kit let out a tiny wail, and Jayfeather prodded it toward Briarlight's nest. The tiny kit mewed and squirmed toward its mother's belly. Jayfeather listened to its movements, fascinated. He had a kit. That was his son or daughter.

"How are you feeling?" Jayfeather meowed to Briarlight, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

A flare of fury burst from her. "What do you think?" she screeched,

Jayfeather leapt back, startled.

"Here comes the second one!" Leafpool announced.

Briarlight let out a loud wail. Jayfeather heard her claws ripping scars in the earth as the bundle slipped onto the moss. Leafpool passed the kit to Jayfeather and he began to lick it, flattening his ears against Briarlight's struggles.

Finally the second kit let out a mew, and blindly wriggled across the moss toward its mother. Jayfeather shut his eyes and when he opened them again, Leafpool was pushing a third bundle toward him.

This kit was a she-kit. She squirmed between her two brothers and latched onto Briarlight's belly. For a moment Jayfeather listened to the three kits mewling, then he remembered there was a fourth and jerked his head up.

Briarlight was worse. Much worse. Her efforts were almost nonexistent, her being too exhausted to push any more. Pain and grief pulsed strongly from her fur. She couldn't even wail or screech any more - she only let out moans once in a while. Jayfeather pushed his nose into her fur. "You can do this," he whispered. "Please. Just one more to go."

With a loud groan, Briarlight gave one final push, and Leafpool let out a mew of triumph. "That's the last kit!" she announced, and quickly leaned down to lick it. Jayfeather listened to her licks for a moment. Then he turned his attention back to Briarlight.

Touching his nose to her head, Jayfeather found that her eyes were closed - as if she was sleeping. She probably was sleeping, actually - but her breathing was irregular and shallow. Jayfeather placed a paw on her chest and was terrified to find that he could barely feel it rising up and down.

Then he remembered. _I'm one of the Four! I can walk in other cats' dreams._

Quickly, he laid his head down on his paws and closed his eyes. A few moments later, sleep crashed over him like a wave.

He appeared in a starry clearing. Briarlight stood next to him, eyes wide and legs trembling. Instinctively Jayfeather pressed close to her. She looked at him, startled. "Why are you in my-"

"You haven't forgotten, have you?" Jayfeather meowed. "I can walk in your dreams."

"Oh." Briarlight looked down at her paws. Then she glanced back up, and gasped.

Jayfeather turned to see what she was looking at.

It looked like the whole of StarClan was there, sitting in rows at the other end of the clearing. Star glittered like sunlight on the trees and on their fur. They watched Briarlight and Jayfeather with careful eyes, but when Briarlight spoke, a blue-furred she-cat rose from their ranks and padded quietly forward.

"Bluestar," Jayfeather greeted her.

"Jayfeather," Bluestar meowed back. She dipped her head to Briarlight, then to the silver medicine cat. "Welcome to StarClan."

Briarlight trembled. "I'm dead?" she rasped.

Bluestar closed her eyes. "That is up to Jayfeather."

"What?" the medicine cat sputtered. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Bluestar padded toward him, her eyes dull with sadness. "You have a choice, Jayfeather. In order for Briarlight to live, somebody else must die. If you don't want to give up her, then you must give up another cat close to your heart."

Jayfeather widened his eyes. "You want me to kill my littermates?"

"No," Bluestar replied firmly. "We are not asking you to give up any living cat. But for Briarlight's spirit to go on living, a dead cat must give up theirs."

Comprehension dawned, and with it, horror. "You mean a dead cat has to … fade?"

"Yes." Bluestar hung her head. "Believe me, if we could save Briarlight's life in any other way, we would do it. But we can't. And so a dead cat must fade forever in order for her to live."

"I can't force a StarClan cat to give up their spirit!" Jayfeather exclaimed.

"Exactly," Bluestar agreed. "So the cat must be willing to do it."

Briarlight darted forward. "No," she cried. "Just let me die. I don't want another cat to have to fade away forever so I can live!" She shook her head. "It's not worth it."

Suddenly a new voice spoke up. "I think it's worth it." A white cat pushed out between the ranks of the StarClan cats and stopped in front of Bluestar. "I'll fade away for Briarlight."

Jayfeather stared at the white she-cat. "Half Moon?"

"I'm sorry," Half Moon sighed. "I told you I'd wait for you forever. But Briarlight needs to live. And even if you don't know it, _you_ need her. So if I must give up my spirit so that she can live, I will."

Briarlight dug her claws into the ground. "No! Half Moon, please, don't do this! I'll die! I'm fine with dying! I don't want you to fade away." Her eyes glistened with tears as she dashed forward. "Please don't do this. I … I was looking forward to meeting you in StarClan," she whispered.

Half Moon gently nudged Briarlight away, guiding her toward Jayfeather. "He's yours now," she murmured. "Take good care of him."

Despite the situation, Jayfeather found himself bristling at the hint that he needed to be taken care of. But he managed not to say anything.

"All right, Bluestar," Half Moon meowed, turning to the former ThunderClan leader. "I'm ready."

Jayfeather unsheathed his claws. "Half Moon, no-"

"This is my choice," Half Moon reminded him. "And you'll be happy with Briarlight. I know you will."

And before Jayfeather or Briarlight could say anything, she turned around, touched noses with Bluestar, and disappeared.

Forever.

"No!" Jayfeather yowled, darting forward. "No, Half Moon!"

Briarlight stood motionless, eyes wide. "I don't want to live if it means I can never see Half Moon ever again," she whimpered.

Bluestar pushed Jayfeather back toward Briarlight. "It grieves everyone that Half Moon had to die," she murmured. "But there is nothing you can do about it now. Be happy with Briarlight. She is your mate."

Jayfeather held in a wail of despair, and glanced at the brown she-cat. She was sitting near the edge of the clearing, head hanging down, staring at her paws Jayfeather remembered how panicked he had felt when Briarlight began kitting, and the overwhelming horror that had jolted through him when he realized that she was dying. Half Moon was right. He _did_ need her.

He slowly walked toward Briarlight, but she didn't raise her head. When he neared her, he could hear muffled sobs. Heart thumping against his chest, he nudged his nose under her head and raised her chin. She looked up at him, eyes glistening with tears. "I didn't want her to die," she sniffled.

Jayfeather closed his eyes and drank in her scent. Then he opened them again, and wiped away her tears with his muzzle. "It's okay now," he murmured, trying to sound brave. "You're going to survive, and so are our kits. Half Moon might have faded away forever, but she lives on in our hearts."

Briarlight blinked up at him, her amber eyes still wet with tears. "Okay," she whispered. "Thank you." Her paws stopped trembling.

"Let's go back now," Jayfeather meowed. He turned to face the StarClan cats. "Bluestar?"

The blue-furred she-cat nodded. "You deserve a rest."

And then the forest clearing faded away, and was replaced by the mossy scents and rustling leaves of the nursery. Watery sunlight warmed their backs and the ground under their paws. Jayfeather raised his head.

Briarlight let out a gasp. "Wow," she breathed in awe. "Look at that sunrise. I don't think I've ever seen a dawn so bright or beautiful."

And for once Jayfeather had to agree. Although he couldn't see the dawn himself, he could tell by the happiness that flooded from Briarlight and his own joy that there would never be another sunrise as exquisite as this one.


	19. What's In A Name?

**OH. MY. GOD. 200 reviews. I'm dying here. I really am.**

**This time, instead of a prize that involves writing (I already have enough stuff to do – this fanfic, the other one, and the one-shots that I still have to write for the 100-reviews prizes), I'll draw a little comic for a character of your choice. Just give me a name, and as I progress, I'll give you the link to the comic when I finish. **

**For those of you who were wondering what my other fanfic is, it's called "Destiny" and it's a Leaf x Crow romance set AFTER The Last Hope. The link is:**

** s/8345291/1/Destiny**

**It's only going to be 10 chapters long, and there are currently 7 chapters, so I have three more to go! Then I can focus on Fixed, and the one-shots.**

**Oh and, I didn't reread this chapter after I wrote it, so if there are any grammatical errors/spelling errors/just bad writing, please excuse it. I wrote this at 9:30 PM and I was tired. ;n;**

**Anyway on with the chapter! Enjoy. :D**

**P.S. Whoever can guess my three favorite Olympic athletes get to choose SquirrelxBramble's kits' warrior names.**

**HINT: Two of them are girls and are gymnasts from the USA.**

**The other one is a guy and is also from the USA, and is a swimmer.**

**Chapter Nineteen**  
"What do they look like?"

Briarlight blinked. Jayfeather's question took her by surprise. "What?"

Jayfeather repeated the question slowly, as if talking to a particularly stupid kit. "What do they look like?" he mewed.

"What do what look like?" Briarlight rasped dazedly.

"The kits!" Jayfeather jabbed his paw toward Briarlight's nest. "I'm blind, if you haven't noticed!"

"Oh!" the brown she-cat exclaimed, embarrassed. "Um …" She curled her tail around the four kits and glanced down at their tiny sleeping bodies. "One of them is pale brown tabby with a white chest and paws … like Leafpool, actually. But I think this one is a tom. The second one is a very, very pale gray, almost white, and I think … I think it's a tom as well." She shifted her body so she could get a good look at the others. "The third one is a silver tabby like you, but a she-kit, and the last one is a black she-kit."

"Black?" Jayfeather tilted his head. "Completely black?"

"Completely black," Briarlight confirmed.

Jayfeather made a sound.

"What?" Briarlight prodded his shoulder. "What is it?"

"Nothing." Jayfeather opened his mouth in a yawn and stretched until his legs trembled. Then he shook out his fur and stood up, his blind gaze turned toward the kits. "I'll be right back with some fresh-kill." Then he bounded out of the nursery.

Briarlight raised her head and looked around the den. Squirrelflight was sleeping a few tail-lengths away, her kits snuggled into her side, while Daisy tore into a squirrel beside her. When the cream she-cat noticed Briarlight, she looked up and pricked her ears. "Can I see the kits?" she asked.

"The kits?" Briarlight asked hoarsely. Then she shook her head to clear it. "Oh, yes. Of course." She unfurled her tail from the four kits and shifted her body as Daisy padded forward for a closer look. As the cream she-cat crouched down, one of the kits - the silver tabby she-kit - let out a mew and batted a tiny paw at Daisy's nose.

"This one is lively," Daisy purred, reaching out with her paw to touch the silver kit's side. "She looks just like Jayfeather."

Briarlight purred back and reached down with her nose to nudge her kits. As they awoke, they let out pitiful mews and squirmed toward her belly, latching on with tiny teeth and kneading her fur with their paws. She watched them nurse, suddenly overcome with a wave of love. She didn't know why she had ever contemplated dying and leaving her kits without their mother. Curling her body tighter instinctively around them, she heard a noise at the entrance of the den and looked up.

Jayfeather was making his way through the nests, a mouse clamped in his jaws. Daisy slipped away as the silver medicine cat neared Briarlight and dropped the fresh-kill at her paws. "Have you thought of any names?" he asked.

"Actually, I have," Briarlight meowed. She leaned forward and took a bite out of the mouse. As Jayfeather settled down next to her, she swallowed the fresh-kill and flicked her ear. "But I don't want to name all of them. You can name them if you want."

The silver tom shook his head. "Tell me the names you came up with."

"Okay," Briarlight meowed. "For the brown tabby that looks like Leafpool - how about Beechkit?"

"Beechkit?" Jayfeather blinked. "But the tree that fell in you was a beech. Do you really want to name your kit that?"

Briarlight sighed. She had been expecting this. "I know, but … if it hadn't fallen on me and broken my spine, just think … I never would have developed feelings for you, nor would we even be here together right now. After all, the only reason why I was in the medicine den long enough for me to fall in love with you was because of the fact that the beech tree fell. So in a way, it was what brought us together."

Jayfeather blinked and tilted his head. "I, uh …" He stopped and narrowed his eyes in thought. "I guess that makes sense. Okay, that one is named Beechkit." He reached out with his paw and tried to touch the kits. "Which one is he?"

Briarlight wrapped her tail around his paw and guided it down toward the brown tom. "This one," she mewed, holding in an amused purr.

The silver medicine cat patted his paw on Beechkit's pelt, trying to get a sense of what he looked like. "He's big," Jayfeather meowed. "Is he the biggest of the litter?"

Surprised, Briarlight gave a slow nod, then remembered that Jayfeather was blind. "Yes, how did you know that?"

Jayfeather said nothing, only rolled his eyes.

"Sorry. Stupid question," Briarlight muttered.

But the medicine cat didn't seem to notice, or if he did he didn't care. "What about the pale gray tom?" Jayfeather asked. "Did you think of a name for him?"

Briarlight took a deep breath. "Yes, I did."

"And?" Jayfeather prompted her.

_I don't want to bring up any painful memories for him,_ she thought, suddenly doubtful. "A-are you sure you want to know it?" she stammered. She was afraid that if she told Jayfeather the name that she had come up with, it would remind him of something bad and she didn't want to do that to him.

Jayfeather tilted his head. "Whatever it is, I promise I can handle it."

Briarlight clenched her jaw. "Are you really, really sure?" she asked, stalling for time.

"Of course." Jayfeather waved his tail. "Just tell me. It's just a kit's name."

_That's what you think. It's much more than a simple kit's name,_ Briarlight thought. But she relented, taking a deep breath and murmuring very, very softly, "I thought we could name him Whitekit." A few heartbeats passed, then she quickly added, "Because of, you know, the big white Twoleg nest that healed my legs." _And for Half Moon,_ she continued silently.

By the expression on Jayfeather's face, she could see that he understood. Heart pounding, she quickly meowed, "And … for the silver she-kit …"

Jayfeather blinked. "Right. The silver she-kit." He shook his head, as if to clear his mind, and continued, "What name did you think up for her?"

"Hippokit!" Briarlight laughed. "Ha ha I'm kidding, we don't even know what a hippo is."

Except she didn't really say that. The author of this fanfiction was just getting bored, and decided to throw a bit of humor into the story. Anyway, what really happened was this:

"Mallowkit," Briarlight said, relieved to get off the painful topic of Half Moon. "Because, you know, you're a medicine cat and I thought … mallow leaves are herbs …" She trailed off awkwardly. "Do you like it?"

The silver medicine cat reached out his paw. "First tell me which one is Whitekit."

Stifling a laugh, Briarlight once again wrapped her tail around his paw and brought it down to touch the pale gray kit. "He's this one," she purred.

Jayfeather nodded slowly. "All right. And which one is Mallowkit?"

Briarlight moved his paw to the silver she-kit.

"Right." Jayfeather nodded. "And … what about the black one? Did you think of a name for her, too?" he asked.

_Mouse dung!_ Briarlight cursed inwardly. She couldn't actually tell Jayfeather the name! It would bring back even more painful memories than Whitekit. She clenched her jaw together and refused to say anything.

"Briarlight," Jayfeather murmured slowly, understanding why she wouldn't speak. "If this is a name that will hurt me in any way, then that's especially why you should tell me now, so I have the kits' entire lives to get used to it."

The brown she-cat shut her eyes and turned her head away. "All right," she whispered. "I … I was thinking we could name the black one Hollykit."

Jayfeather made a strangled sound. "H-Hollykit?"

Briarlight flinched. "If … if you don't like it-"

"No, no, it's fine," Jayfeather said hastily. He prodded the kits with his paw before letting it rest on the black she-kit. "It's fine," he repeated softly. "Hollyleaf deserves a second chance."

_A second chance?_ Briarlight thought in confusion. Then she looked down at the black she-kit, who was rolling about under her father's paw, mewling loudly. She bore a striking resemblance to Hollyleaf - and for all Briarlight knew the kit could have green eyes. Briarlight allowed herself a quiet purr. _Welcome back, Hollyleaf._

"Beechkit, Whitekit, Mallowkit, and Hollykit," Jayfeather murmured. He closed his eyes and lowered his nose to the kits, purring. "Welcome to ThunderClan."

Suddenly there was a rustle by the entrance of the nursery. Briarlight looked up, and Jayfeather pricked his ears, turning his head toward the sound. Lionblaze stood silhouetted by the dawn, his golden fur shining like fire.

"Lionblaze," Jayfeather snarled. "What are you doing here?"

The golden warrior shuffled his paws awkwardly. "I … I wanted to talk to Briarlight, if you don't mind," he muttered under his breath.

Jayfeather sneered. "The last time you talked to Briarlight, you ended up shouting at her that these kits were never meant to be born." He stood up and faced his brother, bristling. "You've made her life hard enough. Why can't you just leave her alone?"

Lionblaze shook his head. "I'm sorry for what I said before. I … I wanted to apologize." He sighed and came closer, weaving among the nests and stopping at Briarlight's side. The brown she-cat instinctively curled tighter around her kits and flattened her ears, but Lionblaze only took a deep breath, and meowed, "When … when I was an apprentice I used to sneak out of camp to meet Heathertail, a WindClan warrior. I don't anymore, of course, but … I realized, well, I once had a forbidden relationship, so I shouldn't be criticizing you. And … and I just came to visit the kits."

The silver medicine cat's fur flattened along his spine. "What?" Jayfeather asked almost incredulously.

"I'm sorry!" Lionblaze repeated. "I'm sorry I said those things."

Briarlight stared at him. "Do you really mean that?" she meowed quietly.

Lionblaze nodded. "I really do." He slipped past Jayfeather, who shuffled aside almost dazedly, and sat down near Briarlight. "What are their names?" he asked.

The brown she-cat, still surprised at the golden warrior's admission, looked down at her kits, snuggled up against her belly. Touching the head of each kit as she said their names, she meowed, "This one is Beechkit - he's a tom. And these two are Whitekit and Mallowkit. Whitekit is a tom and Mallowkit is a she-kit. The last one-" Briarlight stopped, remembering that Lionblaze was Hollyleaf's brother too. "Th-this one is H-Hollykit."

Lionblaze's eyes widened. "Hollykit?" he whispered.

"Yes." Briarlight tried to keep her voice from trembling. "J-Jayfeather says she deserves a second ch-chance."

"A second chance?" Lionblaze's eyes popped open even wider. By his expression, Briarlight could tell that he understood. After all, his own mate, Cinderheart, was a reincarnation. She looked away, pelt burning.

"I see," Lionblaze murmured slowly. Then he shook his head and looked up. "They are very fine kits," he meowed, standing up. "I'm proud to be their kin." He nodded at them, then turned around and headed back out of the nursery.

Jayfeather sat there motionless for a second, as if he were too shocked to move. Then he shook his head slowly and turned toward Briarlight. "I have to go attend to my duties," he said almost sadly, as if he didn't want to leave her. "I'll be back later." Jayfeather touched his nose to hers, then turned around and followed his brother out of the nursery.

Briarlight was left alone in the den - or, well, not completely alone. Squirrelflight had just awoken, and Daisy was grooming herself a few tail-lengths away. Thrushkit squirmed out of her mother's nest and padded toward Briarlight's. She stopped at the edge and stared down at the four kits huddled against the brown queen's side. "Can we play with them?" she asked.

"Not yet," Briarlight purred. "Not until they open their eyes."

Thrushkit frowned. "When will that be?" she demanded.

"Whenever they choose to do so," Briarlight replied with a _mrrow_ of laughter.

The ginger she-kit pouted. "Sagekit and Stormkit are no fun. I want to play with your kits!" She crouched down and stared at the four sleeping bundles, her tail wiggling energetically. "What are their names?"

"Beechkit, Whitekit, Mallowkit, and Hollykit," Briarlight meowed, indicating each one with her tail as she listed the names. Vaguely she wondered how many more times she would have to repeat their names before the entire Clan knew them.

"Hollykit?" Thrushkit cocked her head. "Squirrelflight told me a story about a Hollyleaf once-"

"Yes, yes," Briarlight meowed hurriedly. "Why don't you go see if the _elders_ have any stories to tell you, hmm?"

Thrushkit brightened. "Okay!" she mewed excitedly, and dashed away.

Briarlight gave a sigh of relief. It was easy to avoid an uncomfortable conversation with a kit, but what if a warrior asked about the origin of Hollykit's name? She pushed the thought out of her head and looked back down at her kits. To her surprise, Mallowkit had opened her eyes! They were a brilliant blue, exactly like her father's. She was just like Jayfeather, but a she-kit. Briarlight was for some reason greatly amused by this, and purred with laughter.

Then Beechkit scrambled up beside his sister, and he had opened _his_ eyes too. They were a deep amber - just like Leafpool's! In fact, Beechkit was exactly like Leafpool, but a tom! Briarlight was even more amused by this and had to clench her jaw to keep in her laughs.

Whitekit wriggled out from under his littermates to show that he, too, had opened his eyes. They were deep blue, like the sky just before nightfall. Briarlight tilted her head, finding nothing amusing about this, and wondered vaguely where Whitekit could have inherited such dark blue eyes from. Jayfeather's eyes were blue, but they were bright like the sky at noon. So it couldn't have been from him. And Briarlight's eyes were amber.

Then it hit her. _Crowfeather._

Shaking the thought from her head, she prodded her three kits to the side and looked down at Hollykit. The black she-kit was curled up away from Briarlight, so she couldn't see if she had opened her eyes or not. Taking a deep breath, the brown she-cat reached out a paw and nudged Hollykit gently. Mewling, the black kit stretched and rolled around, then turned toward her mother and opened her eyes.

They were green.


	20. Three Down

**Chapter Twenty**  
Briarlight awoke to chants of, "Seedfur! Lilypool! Seedfur! Lilypool!"

It took a moment for her to realize what was happening. Then it hit her.

_Mouse dung!_ Briarlight jerked her head up, heart jolting. _Did I sleep through Sorreltail's kits' warrior ceremony?_

Squirrelflight pushed in through the nursery entrance and saw Briarlight's expression. "Don't worry," she laughed. "You were sleeping when Bramblestar called the ceremony, and we didn't want to wake you. It's not your fault." She picked her way to her own nest, where her kits were peeking over the edge, eyes wide.

Briarlight blinked and looked down at her kits, who were sleeping peacefully against her side. "Thank StarClan," she purred. "I felt so guilty!"

The ginger queen climbed into her nest and curled around her kits. "I don't think anybody noticed," she meowed with a _mrrow_ of laughter. Then she paused. "Except for Jayfeather and Millie and Graystripe and Blossomfall and Bumblestripe and Dovewing and me and-"

"Right," Briarlight interrupted her. "What time is it now?"

Squirrelflight yawned. "The middle of the afternoon. Why?"

Briarlight glanced out of the entrance of the nursery. "Should I let my kit play outside?"

"Jayfeather's sunning himself on halfrock," Squirrelflight informed her. "His eyes are closed, if you know what I mean …"

The brown she-cat purred. "He's going to get quite the surprise," she mewed. "Come on, kits."

Hollykit scrambled out of the nest, followed by Mallowkit and Beechkit, and finally Whitekit. "Where are we going?" she squeaked.

"We're going to … er … visit your father," Briarlight said. She flicked her tail and headed out of the den toward halfrock. Mallowkit and Beechkit crowded around her forepaws, and Hollykit and Whitekit hung back a little. As they neared the rock, Briarlight leaned down and whispered, "Now be quiet. Very … very quiet."

Mallowkit twitched her whiskers. "Okay!" she squeaked.

Jayfeather's ears twitched at the sound of his daughter's voice. Briarlight nudged her meaningfully and Mallowkit fell silent, blinking in embarrassment.

"Is he sleeping?" whispered Hollykit loudly.

This time, Jayfeather blinked and raised his head. "What? No. I'm not sleeping."

Briarlight groaned. "Hollykit!"

Hollykit shuffled her paws. "Sorry!"

Jayfeather tilted his head. "What were you trying to do? Sneak up on me or surprise me or something?"

Briarlight hopped up and down in frustration. "It's not _fair!_" she complained. "Every time I try to scare you, you _always_ see me coming!"

Jayfeather rolled his sightless eyes and got to his feet, leaping down from halfrock. "You should know by now not to try these kinds of things." He walked past Briarlight, heading toward the medicine den. "Anyway, I've got to go-"

A loud screech cut him off and made every head whip toward the tunnel, where it had come from. Ivypool came barreling into the camp, wild-eyed and terrified. "Flood!" she yowled. "F-fl-flood!" She staggered toward Bramblestar, who had been shocked from his den.

"What do you mean, flood?" he asked in bewilderment. "It hasn't rained _that_ much and the lake is too far away to ever reach the hollow-"

"I don't know!" Ivypool gasped out. "I have no idea but I was hunting and suddenly I saw this … this huge wave in the distance and it's coming closer and we've got to get out of here _now_ it's going to hit any second Bramblestar-"

"All right, calm down," Bramblestar meowed. He turned to the rest of the camp. "You heard Ivypool. Go! Leave! Head toward the unclaimed forest at the top of the territory. We'll meet there." And then he had whipped around, heading toward the nursery to see to Squirrelflight.

Briarlight was shaking with shock, but at Bramblestar's command she snapped to attention and leaned down, grabbing Mallowkit by the scruff of her neck. "Get Hollykit!" she shouted, muffled by the fur, to Jayfeather. The tabby tom quickly snatched up his daughter and ran toward the tunnel. Briarlight whirled around in panic, knowing that the flood would hit before she would be able to take Mallowkit to safety and come back for Beechkit and Whitekit.

"We'll take them," panted Ivypool and Cinderheart as they scurried toward her and grabbed the two remaining kits. "You just worry about Mallowkit."

Briarlight sighed with gratitude. "Thank you." Then she whipped around and sprinted toward the tunnel. Heart pounding, she scrabbled up the slope and wriggled her way into the gorse, then scrambled out into the forest and dashed for higher ground. Mallowkit swung from her jaws, waving her paws feebly and mewing in confusion. Briarlight didn't even stop to comfort her. She just concentrated on running. She had to-

A rock. Jarring pain shooting through her paw. A cry of pain, then a flash of regret as Mallowkit tumbled from her open jaws - "No! No! Mallowkit!" A pitiful mew as a tiny paw scrabbled for a grip, then nothing. Dashing to the edge, peering in terrified hope, seeing nothing but pushing and pulling waves, black water splashing everywhere, swallowing her daughter-

"Briarlight, hurry! You have to-"

"Mallowkit," Briarlight gasped out. "I dropped her - she's gone - she's dead -"

"Mallowkit too?" Foxleap looked horrified.

"Too? What do you mean too?" Briarlight screeched.

"Well, I … I … Cinderheart and Ivypool got held up and they tried but-"

"Beechkit and Whitekit are dead too?" Briarlight wailed.

"Yes, but - but - Hollykit's all right-"

"Hollykit." Briarlight's eyes widened. "I have to get to her. Hollykit …" She dashed away, panicked.

Foxleap blinked. He turned and glanced at the now-flooded stone hollow, then whipped back around and padded the other way, away from Briarlight. He didn't know why there was a flood, why one sprung up out of nowhere, but he was determined not to let it take any more lives.

Even if it meant sacrificing his own.

Unfortunately, Jayfeather heard this thought. He whipped around just in time to hear Foxleap's tail disappearing into a bush. His breath hitched in his throat and he hurriedly passed Hollykit to Leafpool. Then he pelted after Foxleap. _I can't let him sacrifice himself for the Clan. Not like this._

"Foxleap! What are you doing?"

"Saving the Clan," Foxleap replied quietly.

"No! This is crazy! You have to get to higher ground-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Foxleap whirled around and threw himself off the cliff.

"Foxleap!" Jayfeather flung himself forward.

And they both plunged down in the icy, dark depths of the stone hollow.


	21. So Young

**Chapter Twenty-One**  
The water was so cold Jayfeather felt paralyzed for a moment, before he came to his senses and began struggling toward the surface. His fur dragged in the water, slowing him so that by the time he reached the surface, he was ready to burst with lack of air. He shoved his head above the water and drew in a long, rattling gasp of ice-cold air, then shook his ears free of droplets before whirling around, ears pricked for a sign of Foxleap.

The sound of the waves hitting the side of the hollow was so loud that he could barely hear anything, and to add to that, it had also begun to rain. Jayfeather kicked out toward the hollow's wall and scrabbled onto a shallow ledge. "Foxleap?" he called.

There was no answer. Jayfeather slipped back into the water.

"_Foxleap_!"

A loud gasp came from Jayfeather's left. He whipped around.

"Jayfeather - why did you follow me - go back with the others," Foxleap coughed.

"Don't be a mouse-brain, you're going to die if I don't get you out of here!" Jayfeather paddled toward Foxleap, hoping to StarClan that he wouldn't swim away. But his hope was in vain; just a few moments later he heard the distinct splashes of Foxleap backing away. "Don't run!" he shouted over the crashing waves. "You're not going to help any cat by killing yourself! I don't know what you're trying to do, but you're crazy!"

"I'm no more crazy than you are!" Foxleap shrieked, sounding quite crazy indeed.

"What in StarClan are you talking about?" Jayfeather spat back.

"If - if I'm crazy - then you are just as much as I am!" Foxleap panted. "You and Briarlight - if I'm crazy, so is that!"

"So is what? Me and Briarlight?" Jayfeather repeated in confusion.

"Yes!" Foxleap snarled. "Yes!"

Jayfeather paused for a long time, paddling to keep floating in the raging water. He sputtered as a wave crashed into his head. Then he finally realized what Foxleap was trying to say.

"You're in love," Jayfeather said.

Foxleap gave a short, bitter laugh. "Took you long enough."

"What does that have to do with you killing yourself for nothing?" Jayfeather snapped.

"It has everything to do with it! She'll never love me - she barely notices me - and I can't stand that. I can't live with that."

"So you're going to commit suicide? That's going to make your angsty little problem go away? That's going to make her love you?"

"_I know it's not going to make her love me!_" Foxleap yelled. "But if I … if I sacrifice myself, maybe StarClan will make the flood go away and nobody else will die-"

"Foxleap, you idiot, StarClan doesn't work that way!" Jayfeather spat.

"How would you know?" Foxleap shot back.

"I'm the _medicine cat_!" Jayfeather shouted.

Foxleap was silent. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Jayfeather started swimming toward him again. This time, Foxleap didn't move.

"Who is it?" Jayfeather asked.

"Who's what?" Foxleap asked quietly.

"The she-cat," Jayfeather said. He found Foxleap and nudged him toward the wall of the stone hollow. Foxleap numbly began to swim.

"I … I can't tell you," Foxleap murmured.

"I'm not going to laugh," Jayfeather said. He dragged himself onto a ledge with frozen, trembling paws. "You can tell me." He turned and helped Foxleap up, yanking the younger cat up beside him by the scruff of his neck. He realized that the ledge they were standing on was the Highledge. A stone of dread settled in his stomach.

"Fine." Foxleap shuffled his paws. "It's … it's Ivypool."

Jayfeather hesitated. Ivypool?

Foxleap grew uneasy at Jayfeather's lack of response. "I know, it's weird, but-"

"No, not weird," Jayfeather said curtly. "Just surprising. Come on. Let's go." He turned and began to climb.

Foxleap scrambled after him. Jayfeather's paws were still freezing and his fur clung cold and wet to his body. He shivered as he pulled himself onto another ledge. He felt the way ahead with his whiskers and realized that the rest of the wall was sheer and slick. They could never climb up that.

Jayfeather reached out a paw and patted the ledge around him, looking for a way out. He felt his way forward and found that a path led up and around the sheer part and onto the forest floor. Flicking his tail, he beckoned Foxleap and trotted forward.

They were both shivering and wet by the time they reached the rest of the Clan. Briarlight did not notice Jayfeather - she was too busy trying to lick the cold out of Hollykit. Jayfeather briefly looked into her mind - _Hollykit can't die not after the other three did no not Hollykit no no no Hollyleaf deserves a second chance I'm going to save her no matter what it takes_ -

Jayfeather barely had time to grieve for his three dead kits before Cinderheart and Ivypool let out cries of dismay and rushed forward. They passed Jayfeather and supported Foxleap as the ginger tom stumbled into the makeshift camp the Clan was setting up. Just a sniff and Jayfeather could tell that Foxleap was in much worse shape than he; Jayfeather could barely smell any warmth and his teeth were chattering so hard it sounded like the rain that was pounding from the skies.

"Jayfeather."

Jumping, Jayfeather turned to face Bramblestar.

"I'm sorry about your kits," he murmured. "They were sweet little things. They didn't deserve to die."

A lump rose in Jayfeather's throat. He didn't reply.

"You should probably tend to Foxleap," Bramblestar continued.

"Of course," Jayfeather said quietly.

He turned and headed toward where Foxleap was being laid down on a bed of rushes. As he passed Briarlight, he flicked his tail in greeting. She didn't look up.

Jayfeather hesitated and turned around. "Briarlight?"

The brown she-cat didn't say anything. She kept licking Hollykit.

There was silence.

Then Jayfeather blinked a few times before turning around and heading away.

Rain continued to pour.


End file.
